I
remember when I finally turned 15. The first thing on my mind was
getting my permit. I was so excited to start driving. After I took
the drivers ed course and passed the test, I went to the DMV to
get my permit. After the long wait, I finally had it. After begging
my parents to let me drive, my dad gave in. We went to an empty
parking lot to practice. When I started driving, I realized how scary
it actually is. It processed in my mind that a car can be a weapon. I
know the course talks about how driving is dangerous, but I never
realized how true that was until I was behind the wheel myself.

The course previously mentioned
is a shortened version of drivers ed as a class. Even
though I already had my permit, I decided to take drivers ed as an
online class 1 year later, and I’m so glad I did. Drivers ed
opened my eyes even more on how dangerous driving can be, and how we
need to be safe. Some people don’t realize that car accidents are
one of the main causes of death. I believe that all high schools
should make it a requirement to take drivers ed, it’s very
important to take this course, especially if it could save your life.
Driver’s
education teaches you steps that can be taken to reduce deaths caused
by driving. One cause is cellphones. People are always texting while
driving, they think that they won’t crash because they can handle
it, which isn’t always the case. Texting can wait. Put your phone
away, turn it off, do anything to get rid of the distraction. Another
cause is drinking while driving. Again, people think they can handle
in, when in reality, they can’t. Have your friend drive you home,
call an uber, do anything else but get in the car and drive drunk.

Fortunately,
I have not been in a car accident, but a family friend was. My dad’s
best friend’s daughter, Marisa Catronio, was in a fatal car crash
due to drunk driving. Another driver decided to get drunk one night
and drive, she even tweeted “2 drunk 2 care” not long before. She
then proceeded to drive the wrong way on the Sawgrass Expressway and
crash into the car, killing both Marisa and her friend Kaitlyn. The
drunk driver survived. I hope people will read Marisa’s story and
think twice before driving drunk.
After
knowing what happened to Marisa and taking drivers ed, I have
taken steps to become a better and safer driver. I get rid of all
distractions that I can prevent. If it’s my phone, I put it away or
give it to the passenger to hold. If it’s the noise in the car, I
lower the music or ask the passengers to lower their voices. I do
what I can to be a safe driver, and after reading this, I hope you do
too.