Safety while on the road

I was the cautious one who waited almost a year to get my driving permit after I turned 15. All of my friends were out driving but I still did not feel confident. We would practice on the weekends but my mom had a large SUV. I could barely see over the steering wheel. Then we decided maybe I would be better to drive my dads truck but it has large tires and the turning radius is horrible. I am 5'2 on a good day and my parents are both 5'9 so this presents a challenge. So we determined I needed a car that I could safely see over the steering wheel and smaller in size. My parents secured a car and surprised me with it at Christmas. They immediately thought I should be driving now that I have a smaller vehicle but nope I just was not ready yet. I enrolled in a driving school a few months later. I actually went past the one year mark of provisional license before I went to take my actual driving test. I guess you could say I have some anxiety when it comes to driving. I am a safe driver and drive like an old lady. However, I am not nervous about my driving its the crazy people around me. It is stressful enough these days in life but to have to put you life on the line each time you are driving is a bit much for me. My parents would not allow me to ride with my friends on their cars if they were driving. I thought that was mean but then I rode with one of my friends one day and I quickly learned why. They were just trying to keep me safe because as a young driver there are so many distractions. I told my parents that I did ride with my friend and they were not angry just glad I understood why. I am an only child also and I guess they are fearful that something may happen to me. I am getting ready to go off to college and it concerns me with a new area to drive in and its surroundings. I have already warned my roommates that I am not the one who will be driving around but happy to be a passenger. I will help navigate and tell them when to turn and be that extra set of eyes to watch for safe surroundings. I am looking forward to college to pursue my next chapter in life. 

I have had the opportunity to witness some near accidental incidents. We were headed on vacation on the interstate and all of a sudden cars were swerving off the road on both sides. We see a large tire rolling down the highway and as we swerve it strikes the front of our car at 80 MPH. We safely pull over but by then we were ready to go back home. The damage was not as severe as it could have been but needless to say it put a damper on our vacation.  I am very observant and I guess over the years I have seen so many accidents that it has just made me nervous and cautious.  It is so important not to be that distracted driver and focus on the road at all times. I feel like its a trap there is always some flashy sign, banner flapping in the wind or a person on the street corner holding up a sign that distracts you. Its a reflex to look both ways and know what is around you but clearly those are such distractions. Then you have people who cannot stay in their lane or run a red light and you are constantly in fear. My car is a 2016 Buick Enclave with less than 50,000 in mileage that we bought from my aunt. She passed away and of course it was kept in the garage so it looks really nice. It has a lot of safety features and I appreciate that immensely. It alerts you when you are driving too close, or you get close to he center line and many other things. I feel like this is such a distraction and adds even more anxiety to a simple trip to the store. I know it is supposed to help lower my insurance costs as a young driver. It has so many features that sometimes it's just too much to process at times. My friends have laughed at me and say I drive an old lady car.  I giggle and say well it has low mileage, it's paid for and safe. I am thankful to have a car with lots of safety features. Thank you for your consideration of my submission. Emma Gray "aka" Old lady Buick Driver