Driving 70 in a 35; Officer
are You Sure?


Think drivers ed is
not important. Think again. Car crashes are the leading cause of
death among teen drivers, with distracted driving a factor in many
accidents. A thorough drivers ed course should be a
requirement for all teen drivers to reduce the number of deaths on
the road. This course should include more driving time and a strong
focus on driver safety; however, there must be a strong component
that deals with being a responsible driver and the repercussions of
distracted driving.


I successfully completed a
drivers ed program and I thought I was ready for the road;
unfortunately, I had no idea of the responsibility that would
accompany me becoming a licensed driver until I was being pulled over
by law enforcement after only three weeks of driving on my own. I
was terrified of the consequences I was about to face, but at the
same time I had no idea what I had done wrong. This was a true
wake-up call for me. The officer approached the car and boy was he
furious. He yelled that I was going 70mph in a 35mph zone. I
couldn’t believe it; he had to be mistaken. He immediately began
to scold me on the dangers of speeding and how fortunate I was that
he stopped me before I hurt myself or somebody else. Next, I had to
face my parents. Needless to say, my parents were not pleased at
all-total disappointment. As we stood before the judge, my mother
was inconsolable and cried throughout the proceeding until the judge
called us to the bench and had a heart to heart talk with both of us.
I was beyond devastated to see the pain on my mom’s face because of
something that I had done. It was at that time that I truly realized
the impact of my poor decisions and that being a distracted driver
was just as bad as being a drunk driver because the consequences
could be the same and result in a loss of life. When I reflect back
to my incident, I realized that I did indeed fit the profile of a
distracted driver. I wasn’t goofing around or texting and driving,
I just simply wasn’t paying attention as I accelerated to a speed
that was dangerous for myself and others on the road.


Now when my friends and family
members get their license, I remind them of my story and how easily
it could have been a tragedy. I remind them that paying attention to
speed is a critical aspect of driving because it could be the
difference between life and death. I remind them to remember the
lessons learned in drivers ed regarding being a safe driver
because one mistake can cause a lifetime of pain. Finally, I remind
them of the pain that I caused my parents by being so irresponsible
and that is an image that sticks with me even today.