I’ve
been there, done that

As
more young people are allowed the ability to drive on the road, the
importance of drivers ed is becoming more prominent than ever.
Thousands of people die yearly of car accidents due to reckless and
distracted driving. On average, younger people are more likely to get
into a wreck due to lack of experience and recklessness. There are
ways, however, to reduce the number of deaths caused by driving.


By
limiting the amount of distractions there are when driving, fatality
rate would naturally decrease. There are so many distractions that
can be avoided such as cell phones, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends,
stress, tiredness, and more. Is that text to your friend really worth
it if you’ll never see them again? The answer is an easy no. You
don’t want to harm others or yourself simply because you weren’t
paying attention on the road. Also, make sure whoever is riding with
you knows that you’re serious about keeping them and yourself safe
while you’re driving so that they aren’t too distracting as a
passenger. There is always another solution.

I
myself have been in a car accident. Only three months after getting
my license and my own car, I rear-ended someone. It was terrifying. I
was leaving school with too many things on my mind, stressing about
upcoming tests, sports, and running on about five hours of sleep.
Instead of taking the time to get one of my friends to pick me up,
knowing my mind was elsewhere, I drove away from the school. At the
stoplight, dazed and distracted, thinking the car in front of me had
moved, I pushed on my accelerator and quickly found myself crashed
into the person in front of me. The accident was completely my fault
for not being completely focused on the road, and thinking about
other things.

I
can honestly say that I learned a big lesson; Limit all distractions
no matter what. My main priority should have been getting to my
destination safely, not everything else going on in my head. In my
circumstance, rather than driving exhausted and stressed, I could
have called a friend or my parents to come and get me. Or I could
have ridden the bus home. There were other solutions I could have
taken. In the future, when I start driving again, I know that in
order to help make the road a safer place, I will definitely do
things different. No driving when I’m too exhausted or stressed. No
phone or smart watch with active notifications. I can communicate
with the passengers in the car that it is important that they don’t
distract me and that we can fun when we reach our destination. I can
then set this example in my own vehicle, so that others may see it
and apply safe driving themselves.


There
are so many risks to reckless driving that drivers ed and
being aware of what could happen is so important. You never think
that you’re going to crash into somebody until it actually happens.
You never know what could happen. But that’s why it’s so
important that you utilize available resources and practice safe
driving.