Awareness with the Cause

In reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving, driver education helps teenagers and adults know more about the responsibilities and precautions that should be taken when getting behind the wheel. Throughout my driver's education class we mainly focused on awareness. Awareness of driving was often displayed to us through watching short films. These short films captured the lives of teenagers and how a reckless driving choice that was made affected their lives. Personally I did not like watching these short films because the scenes were gruesome but I feel like they helped me understand how driving should be taken with all seriousness. Awareness while driving is the most important part when reducing the risks of deaths, it’s best to know that driving can potentially cause risks and it’s best to make good informed choices when you are driving. I experienced a traumatic event at my high school where a girl named Beth Dunlap was killed while walking in the crosswalk in front of our school by a guy who was high on drugs. I personally didn't know her but I knew who she was because she played on the varsity volleyball team as a setter, and I was on the sophomore volleyball team. Even though I did not see the accident, someone on my team did and they sent all the gory details. I can't imagine someone seeing that accident and being okay with it, I would be scarred for life. The next couple of days following that incident our school was mournful, incidents like this happen all the time and there are no good words that can be said other than being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I am sure people blame themselves and wish they could have done something at the moment because there were other factors that played this situation out. At the time Beth was crossing the sidewalk there was another teacher walking with her, the teacher was aware and tried to scream out to Beth but she was paying attention to her phone and wearing headphones so she wasn’t aware of anything until she was struck. Also, Beth Dunlap was excused to have a late arrival that day since she just came back from her volleyball tournament in which her mom dropped her off at school. It is not the teachers nor her mom's fault but they may think it was. Feeling guilty and wondering if they should have done something differently definitely lingered in their minds. It’s how people who are good and loving respond to an accident, wishing that things are different than they were. But sadly, this is a part of life and it’s how we learn and appreciate things and people we have around us because you never know what could happen. After a couple of weeks of Beth's passing there were signs that were made on that crosswalk, saying don’t look at your phone and pay attention to the road. I honestly hated those signs, yes if she wasn’t on her phone she may have had an opportunity to still be alive, but I feel that is saying that everything is her fault in which it wasn’t. That man who hit her should be responsible and he should be the one to learn and grow from it. When I first started driving my instructor took me down the street the accident was on and I was terrified to drive because I did not want to be a person who did that to anyone. I did not drive that day because I was too scared. Most of our time was well spent practicing in the parking lot of my highschool. But I eventually got past that feeling and learned that will only happen if I am not fully aware of what I’m doing. I feel like everyone who gets behind the wheel should be one hundred percent confident with their driving ability and when you are not fully aware of what you are doing it’s best to not drive at all or have a friend drive you home. Taking drugs, driving while drunk, and not texting while driving are key factors that influence car accidents. I think everyone should understand that and be fully transparent with themselves and their well-being. People that are driving should know that other lives can be at stake for their actions. Change starts with us, it’s time to put our best foot forward and own up to our actions.