Raphael
2

Sharal
Raphael
June
8, 2019

Don’t
Let this be a Lesson Learned the Hard Way
A
couple of years ago, I was with my mom in the car, and we got hit
from behind by a young girl. Our car was in need of serious
remodeling, but luckily, no one was seriously hurt. The girl who hit
us quickly came out of her car to make sure no one was hurt. She
began frantically apologizing, and gave the excuse that she was
looking up an address on her phone’s GPS. If it weren’t for the
sudden shock given by the situation, I would have kindly explained to
the girl, that no matter what work she had to do, she should have
been focusing on the road.
I
know for a fact that I got lucky that day. Many other people lose
much more in accidents than I can imagine. While we had to visit a
chiropractor for months afterwards to recover from the whiplash, it
wasn’t much compared to the injuries I have seen as I have driven
past accident scenes. However, most people do not understand the
gravity of this issue. They believe that it cannot happen to them,
just like I used to believe. It took a close call for me to start
understanding the serious nature of dangerous driving.
In
order to increase awareness for safer driving, stricter laws need to
be put in place that regulate phone use in the car. While there are
stricter regulations for younger people and those who have just
recently gotten their licenses, the rules are a little more lax for
older and more experienced drivers. New laws should apply the strict
rules to all drivers, regardless of age and experience because it is
only human to mess up, and nobody can stay 100% vigilant 100% of the
time.
Furthermore,
this awareness for safe driving can also be raised through setting
good examples. Whether that be for your family, younger siblings, or
your friends, people will notice the little things, and that will
influence their line of thinking and how they act on it. A younger
sibling who watches you put on a seatbelt anytime you sit down to
drive will be much more likely to adopt the habit once they start
driving. In this way, actions speak louder than words. It will
encourage practicing safety within your own family, and also keeping
others on the road safe.