In
the Driver's Seat
Growing
up the one thing that I continued to look forward to was turning 16
and being able to say that I can drive, it is a right of passage in
all teenagers lives. In my first time driving around in the
neighborhood with my mom rolled through a stop sign, I was nervous
and distracted by the sight of other cars around me for the first
time. My mom reminded me that everything you do while driving a car
can have giant consequences, not only for you and your passengers but
also for anyone else on the road.

I
ended up taking a drivers ed course through my school and it
was eye opening. As a young and inexperienced driver, I never
realized the hundreds of different ways that situations could go
wrong. In taking a drivers ed course I was able to soak in all
of the knowledge that my instructor provided me with. Not only do
they know the laws and rules but they also have the experience that
young drivers lack. Taking a drivers ed course is crucial to
prepare new drivers for many of the situations that can be seen on
the road.

The
dangers driving have been reiterated again and again, in the news, in
drivers ed, and by my parent, all of these dangers increase when
someone is driving distracted and under the influence of drugs and
alcohol include. I have experienced a few minor fender benders in my
life, they were caused by people being on their phones or just being
distracted in general. For example my friend actually backed down her
driveway and ran into my car, it all happened because she was
distracted by the other people in the car. The most shocking accident
was something that rocked all of the communities surrounding my town
of Bennington, Nebraska, Five teenage girls, from Gretna, Nebraska
which is about 20 minutes from my house, were speeding and driving
under the influence when they hit a guard rail and flipped over a
bridge, four of the five died in that accident. The accident opened
people's eyes to the fact that driving distracted and under the
influence is not just something that is seen on the news, but that it
can happen actually happen in their lives.

The
major takeaways that I have from drivers ed is that there is
no excuse for being distracted on the road. That means your phone
needs to go away and your passengers need to know that your main and
most important job it to drive. Also through my experiences with
seeing the consequences of a drunk driving accident it is important
to remember that if you have had anything to drink it is a good idea
to stay off the roads. Decreasing the number of driving related
deaths is going to be a challenge, but staying away from the
previously mentioned causes of driving death will 100% help the
cause.