Hannah
Barlow
Highschool
Senior
November
17th, 2019
“Convenience
or Danger?”
In
America, driving is the ideal mode of transportation for most of the
population. Although, driving is very convenient it is also very
dangerous. I hope to inform all drivers and non-drivers of the
impending danger of driving and the importance of drivers ed.

Providing
drivers with proper education of how to drive and the safety measures
they should take could potentially save lives... if people actually
follow the precautions. An average of 34,000 people die in car
accidents per year in America. Many of the accidents include the
following: Drunk driving, texting and driving, being careless and
reckless. This type of tragedy definitely provokes fear and awareness
in the community, however, it should not take someone dying to cause
people to follow the rules.

Highschools
should have driving safety programs. At my school, we have a program
called “Drive For Life”, this program consists of memorials with
names of students we have lost in car accidents. We have a ceremony,
with a speaker (someone who has car accident related trauma) to talk
to the students and encourage us to be safe while driving. Last year,
it was a friend of mine who spoke about his loss, it made me realize
how dangerous cars can be and how special life is. It is very
important to teach teens at a young age that they need to focus on
the road and follow the rules of the road in order to reduce the
number of deaths related to cars.


When
I was 5 years old my father and I were in a car accident. We were 5
minutes from home, my father wasn't wearing his seatbelt. A
distracted driver t-boned us and proceded to hit us with his trailer.
We went flying into the woods, the car hit a tree and my dads arm and
head flew through the windshield. I woke up in terror, covered in
blood and scared. My mother couldn't locate us. My dad has no
function in his right arm, he had to learn how to write again using
his left hand. He shattered his knee cap and was bed ridden for a
year, unable to do anything for himself until he was strong enough to
learn to walk again. We are so thankful everyday that he is okay. We
ensure everyone is always buckled and we travel safely.
Irresponsibility in a car can cause for the loss of a loved one or
your own life.

I
personally do not drive; however I always encourage my friends and
family to drive safely. Before every goodbye, I include a ‘Drive
safe, wear your seat belt”. I also encourage people to stay off of
their phones, whether it be I offer to text for them or change the
music. Simple things like this can save a life.
In
conclusion, cars are very dangerous and we use them daily. Everyone
should know the rules of the road and encourage others to follow
them.




































































































































































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