Drive safe to not only help yourself but many others

Gulizere 3

Drive safe to not only help yourself but many others

During my sophomore year in high school, I’ve mandatorily took the drivers ed class for one semester. Every high school in Fairfax County are responsible for all the students to learn how to drive safe before they get their driver’s permit and start driving. Back then I took the class only to maintain my grade. I thought driving is easy, all I need to know is where is the brake, where is the gas pedal, and all the signs on the road. But as I started to pay more attention, I realized that driving involves much more than that. Collaboration, reading others, pay 100% attention to the road, and most importantly it involves another person’s life and mine as well. It seems very easy, driving from one distance to another, get to the destination. But when it involves another person’s life, it can never be easy.

When I first got my driver’s permit, which allows me to drive with my cousins who have much longer experience and over 21 on my side, I was fascinated by a teenager like me could be able to drive at such a young age. In many other country people are not allowed to drive under age 18. Adolescence is a dangerous time. Teenagers show poor judgment in risky situations, and with the decision-making areas of their brains still developing. They tend to be more rational. Both males and females between the ages of 16 and 20 are at least twice as likely to be in car accidents than drivers between the ages of 20 and 50 are. This shows that driving at such young age maybe help parents save lots of time and trips, but on the other hand, it also higher the risk of their children’s life. Specially as the technology grow, phone, laptop, iPad has become one of the main parts of our life. People texting, sending snaps, posting pictures to their social media while they are driving without realizing that their irresponsible action could cause unimaginable tragical consequence. This isn’t only point to adolescence, but to everyone who has influenced by modern technology.

Fortunately, realizing the importance of safe driving, I’ve always drive with my most attention and communicating with other drivers as much as I can. But as a follower of multiple social media, I’ve heard many tragic news. Many people drive with their phone on, texting which caused their life at the end. There was a news about two teen girls killed in a car crash while filming Instagram live-stream video. This is how much we have influenced by the social media, at the point where we don’t even care about our own life.

To avoid the tragic to happen again, we should advertise phone-prohibition while driving advertisement banner in every campus and public places, like public library, restaurant, metro station, bus station to show the severity of texting while driving. And increase the attention on public drivers ed, like mandatorily let student take the class to help them understand the importance of safe driving. If possible, raise the age of driving to 18. It might will cause inconvenient to their parents, but for safety, extra 3 more years of drivers ed will help them to avoid much risky situation.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-teen-brain-too-rational/?redirect=1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_minimum_driving_age

https://au.news.yahoo.com/snapchat-video-reveals-final-moments-of-woman-before-fatal-crash-215744935.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFy_6X8iLRhabJ0iIig-4mm-4XHDrzV0UvKLJ78A69890XaTMzL8fzxl70ZnH6LZVChaIkY9kLS9_ZyHN_hUytAsXgISbSN3D-wsMhd021XxtKRQ1qaUbwKyw9AFlSzV8OFj81cUs181O15wp1f91Wz1k7RtHe-flN5HfKYh03C3

Work Cited

Farley, Frank. “Is the Teen Brain Too Rational?” Scientific American, 1 June 2007, www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-teen-brain-too-rational/?redirect=1.

“List of Countries by Minimum Driving Age.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_minimum_driving_age.

“Snapchat Video Reveals Final Moments of Woman, 21, before Horrific Fatal Crash.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 29 Apr. 2019, au.news.yahoo.com/snapchat-video-reveals-final-moments-of-woman-before-fatal-crash-215744935.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFy_6X8iLRhabJ0iIig-4mm-4XHDrzV0UvKLJ78A69890XaTMzL8fzxl70ZnH6LZVChaIkY9kLS9_ZyHN_hUytAsXgISbSN3D-wsMhd021XxtKRQ1qaUbwKyw9AFlSzV8OFj81cUs181O15wp1f91Wz1k7RtHe-flN5HfKYh03C3.