Drivers Ed Scholarship Essay

It was a Tuesday night during my senior year of high school in 2009. I was doing what many girls my age were: watching TV with a facemask on, “living my best life” as they say. I can even remember the name of the show that was on. The Bad Girls Club. Funny how you can remember the most remedial things. We lived in a two story house, and my mom mostly left me alone. You know how teenagers do not like to be interrupted. But this night was different. All of a sudden, I could hear her running up the stairs bound for my door. “Britt, Britt! Open up!” Rolling my eyes, I got out of bed and opened the door. The look on her face said it all. I knew this was going to be bad. “What is it?” I enquired. With tears streaming, she said, “Devon just died.” “My cousin?” was all I could think of saying. “Yes! A car crash!” 

When you get news of a death, it hits you in different ways. They call it stages of grief, but they do not tell you that those stages will often change. Sometimes daily. Devon was only 20 when he died. Even typing that 16 years later feels surreal. I have Polaroids of us together as kids. Laughing, playing, not a care in the world. Ironically, many of these photos were of him racing his Quarter Midget Go Kart. Racing. It was a joy for him. “You will die as you lived” is what they say, right? Racing is how Devon crashed his car. Racing is how Devon died that December night. 

To say that distracted driving affected my life would be an understatement. According to the Special Crash Investigator who helped examine my cousin’s accident, he was going well over 70 miles per hour. They measured the skid marks on the road. Marks like scars that would never heal. It was like seeing his last movements in life. As if the tree he hit were not enough to bear witness. “He swerved here and then hit the tree instantly. It all happened very fast,” the investigator told us at the scene. I had always heard about things like this. You grow up seeing it on the news or have been noisy enough to rubberneck while passing an accident on the highway. But watching my Aunt bury her son. Her 20 year old son. This was something that has deeply affected me. 

It later came out that my cousin was at fault for the crash. He was driving recklessly, racing his car. The other driver he was racing was not injured, but affected nonetheless. Survivor's guilt, maybe. He later told us that it was his idea to race. That they had done it many times before on that same stretch of road. Pushing the limits of what they could get away with. This is how most tragedies start. You think you are invincible. Especially when you are young. No one thinks it will happen to them until it does. The old cliche. Unfortunately, that is how some people will learn this lesson. That driving recklessly can have consequences too big to imagine. 

Devon was 1 in 34,000. Statistically, they say, “driving is more dangerous and deadly for our nation than being involved in combat.” Yet we do it so often. Sometimes multiple times a day. Maybe it is this comfort that detaches us from the dangers. Not only from our mistakes, but also from others'. We must be more aware of our presence on the road. Driving depends on predictability. If traffic is moving like a machine, orderly and with purpose, then driving can become more efficient and safe. This ensures safety for all involved as well as lower costs for insurance. Following the rules is something that we are taught from an early age. Driving needs to go beyond that if we want to increase the cooperation of society. Personal accountability combined with education can make for more aware drivers. For instance, safe drivers practice scanning the road, checking their blind spots, and using communication while driving (turn signals). 

Driving on public roads is a privilege. Are there factors that we can not control on the road? Sure. The weather is a big one. But even still, if we use common sense and driver's education tactics, we can ensure that everyone is safer while driving. After all, the road is shared by many. We must have respect for all and take this routine part of life, and make it manageable. Eliminate distractions, manage speed, and let us all get home safe. Thank you.