Zarina
Lewis

11/30/2019

Drivers
Education Initiative Scholarship


Be
Prepared, Be Alert, Be Safe; The Importance of Drivers ed

In
the US, it is seen as a “Rite
of Passage”
to receive your driver’s license, as one of the first steps of
adulthood. But as a teen goes about obtaining it, they don’t
realize the amount of responsibility that’s associated with that
plastic card. As a driver, you are responsible for the safety of
yourself, pedestrians, and fellow drivers while on the road; the
lives of complete strangers are at risk when you aren’t driving
responsibly. This is why drivers ed is so crucial to
lessening the amount of driving-related deaths in the US. But one
must not only learn how to properly drive a vehicle, but also how to
operate it responsibly while anticipating/reacting to others actions
on the road.
As
a driver, you are responsible for maintaining a safe environment on
the road, therefore you should take the necessary steps to ensure
that you and your vehicle do not pose a threat to any occupant of the
road. These steps include taking care of yourself, the operator, by
ensuring that you’re not driving under the influence of any drugs,
alcohol or sleep deprivation; allowing you to be aware of/react to
external stimuli quickly and purposefully. Another step would be to
take care of the vehicle; having routine maintenance done to a car
ensures that the vehicle is safe to drive, removing 
any
possibly dangerous variables from one's mind while driving.
Thankfully,
neither my family nor I have been in a car accident. But we were
witnesses to a multiple-car crash on an expressway. The driving
conditions weren’t the best; the lights were dim due to a city-wide
blackout. We heard tires screeching on the tarmac and then a loud
crash. We looked from our apartment window to see about 6 cars
wrecked on the expressway. Metal scattered across the lanes, while
people were limping, their clothes covered in blood. The panic and
fear became palpable when we watched adults desperately try and save
an injured child stuck in a toppled SUV. The fear, pain and loss
experienced that day could have been avoided if that lone driver had
been driving more responsibly that night.
In
order to prevent events like the previous from occurring, I am
determined to become a smarter, safer driver. Steps that I will take
to achieve this goal will be to take multiple drivers ed
classes and to shadow a family member who drives. I believe that the
best way to drive safer is to be skilled/prepared beforehand. The
more knowledgeable one is on driving technicalities, the more
comfortable one will be with the execution. This allows for them to
stay vigilant on the road, and react appropriately in the case of an
emergency. But the best way to ensure the safety of others on the
road, is to maintain safe driving habits by being a conscientious
driver at all times.