Two days ago, my younger Cousin Ma’kayla Ellis died due to being hit by a reckless driver who was speeding in Atlanta, Georgia. Mind you, she's a minor. The man who hit and killed my flesh and blood decided to keep driving away until something stopped him; it was the sound of death that compelled him to turn back.
I am an undergraduate student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with around 30,000 students in attendance. LSU comprises a generation of young drivers who prioritize engaging in cellular activities and texting over maintaining a distraction-free driving environment. This is dangerous not only for themselves but also for the lives of others. Daily, I witness reckless driving as I walk through campus. Growing up in Minnesota, I learned how to drive safely due to being cautious about the tremendous amount of snow and ice we are exposed to yearly. I have also known how critical it is for all new and old drivers to exercise safety measures consistently on the road.
Operating a vehicle in our society is ubiquitous and will only become more popular, given how fast technology is growing. It is a way of life that allows us to transport goods, objects, and people efficiently. However, the dark side of driving results in injury, trauma, or death, which is due to both unpreventable and preventable factors such as mechanical issues, poor maintenance, weather conditions, speeding, and distracted driving. The safe driving method is severely underrepresented and underlooked because most people assume they can multitask or drive their way regardless of what they did to pass the driver’s exam at their local DMV. People must understand that every time they get behind the wheel, they take on the significant responsibility of preserving or endangering the lives of themselves and others.
As mentioned in the description for this formal response, “driving is more dangerous and deadly for our nation than being involved in combat.” This mind-boggling fact leads me to ponder: How is it that machines that are specifically designed to kill others are doing less harm to people than machines that are specifically designed to keep people safe for transportation? The answer to this question points to us—the people who use these machines. This is why all drivers must pledge to change their driving habits around safety.
Taking the Safeway driving course was extremely important to understand how to operate a vehicle and the rules that follow driving. Still, it fails to cover the long-term effects of driving, especially if something were to go wrong. The importance of it needs to be taught. New and inexperienced young drivers don’t understand that it can take lives and ruin their own—also not knowing the severity it can cause. When drivers can legally operate a vehicle independently, the first feeling is the rush and excitement about getting to their destination on time, posting on social media about their new car, or giving their friends rides.
Some steps that can be taken include adding scenarios and simulations to the state-driving learning courses taught in high school. The driving curriculum should add a nationwide chapter covering possible factories, mistakes, and life-threatening/long-term/lasting events. That allows the student to learn what is also installed in driving and operating a vehicle just as much as they are learning to use it so that by the time they start driving, they have a better, accurate understanding of life. The second step, I'd say, would be adding some additional skill set that needs to be acquired outside of the vehicle that can help teach more about possibilities of what could happen.
The reason why I am so adamant about driving is because, at my young age I have already experienced being in a car accident while I was the passenger. I have also been in a vehicle with drunk drivers before and people who have driven irresponsibly to try and impress the others around. It's not okay, and I have decided never to allow that to happen again; If I can prevent myself from it, I will no longer put up with reckless behavior or be involved or surrounded by it.
To conclude, we see how vital driving and safety are. To improve my safety, I can start working towards always ensuring that I have my contacts or glasses on/in when I am behind the wheel, adding an extra level of protection for me and the passengers under my supervision. Another habit that can be adapted is preparing my music playlist to ensure I'm focusing on the road rather than my screen while I am driving.