Driving Lesson, Turned to Life Lesson

The first time I sat behind a steering wheel with the keys in the engine, I was 15 preparing for my drivers' test. It was a gloomy Saturday morning just before 7 am. My dad was teaching me how to drive and parallel park. As I begin to put the car in the drive, I accidentally put it in reverse and almost hit a trash can until my father haunted the car with his direction. Imagine if we were on the road with other cars and not in an empty parking lot just after dawn. In America, driving fatalities have accounted for about 34,000 deaths each year. This alone shows the sole importance of drivers ed to reduce the number of fatalities on the road. To become a safe and responsible driver take an array of skills and knowledge. One must first know the laws of the state or country they are driving in. Traffic laws such as speed signs are put in place to protect the many operating vehicles on the road. Secondly, no distractions, did you know that fatalities involving texting and driving make up 9% of fall crashes nationwide? To reduce the number of deaths related to driving more education surrounding the issue needs to be implemented. From phone use to weather and roads, to basic driving maneuvers can be helpful for drivers. For example, social media now days can affect and reach the masses. If one were to create a small visual clip about the importance of safe driving it can reach millions of views. When I was 14, I remember waving bye to my friends after school not knowing it would be the last time. The road home was backed up due to an accident so my mother decided to take another route home. When I got home I decided to call my friend about our disagreement earlier, only to realize he was in that accident and never made it home. The shock of this news instilled in me at a very young age the importance of safe driving. The effects you make behind the wheel not only affect you but others surrounding you. To become a safe driver I can continue to educate myself, pay attention to the road signs, have no distractions while driving, and limit and time on the road while fatigued. To help others become safe drivers, I can use my skills to implement visual videos and animations to help educate people on the importance of driver's safety. Take a stand and do our part to make sure everyone gets home safely.

RIP- Dionnte Swinson