Driver education is crucial to many communities around the Chicago area. From rush hour traffic downtown to school getting let out simultaneously in the suburbs. Traffic is everywhere, and what makes a difference in the safety of traffic is drivers well aware of proper driver education. I have often seen “road rage” at its finest while driving on highways to and from Chicago. This idea of every man for themselves needs to stop. When we don’t see driving responsibly as a priority we can get caught up on trying to make it home faster than anyone else. In reality, though, what if that minivan you cut off was filled with your kids? Would you be proud to get in front of the line then? No, the safety of everyone around you is in your hands when you enter a vehicle and start driving. Whether that means being impaired and still choosing to drive or speeding down a road just because “No cops are there.” is reckless and irresponsible behavior.

How many times do we wake up, turn on the news or scroll through our phones and see car accidents with deaths highlighted next to them? We need to start taking these alerts seriously. The news is giving us a wake-up call every day to drive responsibly but we constantly live with this idea that it won't happen to us. We need to stop desensitizing ourselves to the reality that this is ok. Car accidents can be preventable. To reduce terrible headlines like this drive like your kids, nieces, cousins, siblings, parents, or any loved ones are in the car with you at all times. I unfortunately have had loss in my life due to car accidents whether it’s friends from school who have lost their life too young due to reckless drivers or family members not taking speed limits and icy conditions seriously enough. When I was a freshman in high school a very kind young man from my community passed away due to a drunk driver hitting him while he was pulling into his driveway. He left behind two little siblings with developmental delays and a family that counted on him to help support the bills. Later the following year I lost a friend from my graduating class. She and her two little brothers were hit by a semi that did not look in its mirrors before merging on the highway.

From a deeply personal standpoint, my sister and parents were in a car accident where the car in front of them took a pedestrian's life. My sister and mother are both nurses and rushed into action but it was too late. That day will forever change the driver's life, the pedestrian's family's life, and my family's lives. Terrible things that can occur due to reckless driving need to be stopped. That family won't have their dad home for Christmas this year. The driver who accidentally struck the pedestrian will never not look both ways while driving around that corner again. My family will never be able to forgive themselves for trying their best as medical professionals but not being able to help fast enough.

When people get into car accidents there's an initial shock of "What did I just do?" or "What just happened?". We need to start feeling that way about all traffic violations. If we run a red light we need to feel that sense of shock. People who have been in car accidents never think it is going to happen to them until it does. We need to live in a state of constant awareness while driving because nobody plans a car accident. All it takes is one scroll of a song or a text back to change a family's life forever, and I don’t think we should take such a gamble on a day-to-day basis. Tragedy can strike when we are being irresponsible with our driving patterns.

To break the cycle we need to prioritize safety over everything while driving. Put down the phone, put down the alcohol, but down any other recreational substances, and call a cab before you are the one who causes a tragedy. Everyone sees the billboards while driving that say things like, "Is that one more drink worth it?". These signs are crucial on roads because they cause that same state of shock. It causes drivers to reflect on their driving habits in a way that seems abrupt but incredibly helpful. I will start putting my phone in my glovebox before driving, I will follow the speed limits, I won’t get angry when traffic isn’t moving, and I’ll do my duty as a citizen to drive safely. At the end of the day my life and others' lives depend on it.