Attending college has been a humbling and eye-opening journey for me in many ways, but nothing has had a greater influence on me than personal events that have exposed the need for safe driving habits, particularly among adolescents. As a young driver juggling school, employment, and personal obligations, I've learned that a single distracted or impaired judgment behind the wheel can have permanent effects. I've been through my own mistakes, and I've also mourned someone who never had the opportunity to grow from theirs.
Attentiveness is essential when it comes to driving, everywhere and at all times. I’ve only been driving for about three years, but I have experienced one minor accident that completely shifted my perspective. To this day, I still reflect on how I could’ve avoided it. I try to recall exactly what I was doing leading up to that moment without any fabrication, and the truth is simple: I was not being fully attentive. There is a major difference between having your eyes on the road and truly being alert, focused, and observant.
At the time of the accident, I was working as a DoorDash delivery driver, trying to make money while attending Norfolk State University my freshman year, which was about a four hour drive from home. I had accepted an order, my music was on about 80% volume, and while navigating through a tight space, I sideswiped a woman’s truck. Both of our cars were damaged. Thankfully, she was kind, supportive, and ultimately let me go after a lengthy conversation. But the experience was humbling and emotionally jarring. It was my first accident ever, and it happened during a time I was just trying to make ends meet.
But my story does not conclude with a lesson. It became more intense after I suffered a genuine loss. Back in my hometown, a year prior a teenage acquaintance of mine died in a horrible vehicle accident. He was only nineteen years old. The cause was driving under the influence. According to what I was told, he most likely lost control of the car and went right off the parkway. The news devastated my friends and his community. He had his entire life ahead of him, full of possibilities, excitement, and dreams that would never come true. Losing him taught me how easily a life may be taken, not just from distracted driving, but also from intoxicated driving. These are split-second decisions that cause many to suffer for the rest of their lives. These years after, every birthday of his spent at his gravesite with his loved-ones is a reminder.
As a young person, I see firsthand how often people my age underestimate the responsibility that comes with being behind the wheel. We get comfortable, we blast music, we drive fast to make it to class or work on time, we glance at our phones because we think it will only take a second. But that second can take a life. That comfort leads to tragedy.
Teen drivers, like myself, are statistically more inclined to take risks on the road. However, this does not imply that we are incapable of change. It means we require education, self-awareness, and genuine accountability. This means that we must approach driving as an active responsibility rather than a routine chore. I've started using my car's functions more thoughtfully, such as the strong brake feedback from DoorDash deliveries, which would appear on a frequent basis, warning me that I was stopping too hard or driving too quickly. I began to adapt my driving appropriately, thinking that if a notice could monitor it, so might the resulting consequences.
Real interactions, not just among teenagers, but also between families, schools, and communities, are the first step toward preventing irresponsible driving. We need more peer encouragement to hold each other accountable, improved access to public transit so that kids don't feel like driving is their only option, and more awareness campaigns based on stories rather than numbers. I greatly support student-led outreach programs that bring these conversations into classrooms. Hearing from someone who has lost a friend or been involved in a dangerous accident can be more powerful than reading a traffic safety booklet.
As the only member of my household now attending an HBCU, I feel a strong sense of responsibility not only to excel academically, but also to develop into someone who can positively affect others. My parents, Ugandan immigrants, have worked tirelessly to provide a better life for me, and I commemorate their sacrifices by valuing not only education but also my own and others' safety. Safe driving is part of it.
In order to advocate for safer roads and more responsible young drivers, I don't mind sharing my story as well as those we have lost. We can save more lives if we have more candid conversations about these issues. Because nobody should have their future destroyed by a choice made in a moment of distraction or intoxication.