Being able to drive is the peak of your teenage years, at least for me. When I was first able to drive, I felt free, even if it had to be with my dad teaching me how to drive and tracking my hours. That new pitch for freedom and responsibility that was right in front of me seemed wonderful. When I was finally able to drive by myself, I felt a feeling of a new and open life. I would be so willing to drive, going shopping for my dad just to be able to drive his minivan even for 30 minutes. I would be singing with the windows down and felt amazing doing it. I gave my new car, which was a old firefighter chief’s truck, the name Whitney, because I was so attached to my car and the wonderful feeling of driving. About 5 months after I got my driver's license, I got in my first accident. I was taking my daily 30-minute drive from my mom’s house to school, when a semi cut off a spectrum minivan in stop and go traffic, which forced him to slam on the brakes, and unfortunately, I was not able to stop in time. I was scared, embarrassed, worried, and afraid of all that had happened, from the encounter with my dad, the other driver, and a police officer. Luckily both me and the other driver were safe, and both realized it was just unlucky what had happened. From that moment on, although I realized the importance of driving safe, and started to research more about car crashes and injuries that can come from them. What I found was shocking and blew my mind. I found that car crashes are one of the leading causes of death around the country, and that it is above other causes that I thought would have easily passed car crashes. From the moment I started driving, my mom was always worried about me and the dangers of the driving world. She to this day states, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, its that I don’t trust the other drivers”. At first, I didn’t really understand what she was trying to say by this, and would blow it off, but after doing my research, I realized what she meant. There are too many drivers that don’t understand the dangers of the road. Car crashes, especially fatalities that are involved in them, happen frequently with drivers that are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Realizing this was scary, because it showed me that people who I have no control of, can possibly end my life driving because they got to drunk one night, or did something they weren’t supposed to, and decided to act reckless on the road. I also found out another major cause of driving while tired. Driving tired can lead to serious dangers, like falling asleep on the road, which not only causes a danger for you, not having control of the car, but also others around you. Drivers need to know about these dangers, and one of the big ways of teaching people is through drivers ed. Drivers ed is the focal teaching lessons that all teenage drivers need to go through to know how to drive. Through this process, drivers ed can expose young drivers, who fall for the trap of driving irresponsibly due to peer pressure, immaturity, and much more, to be able to understand the dangers of driving, and expose them of the possible threats of driving. The way to expose these threats is by showing them the data of these fatalities due to driving. This can also be done by showing real life scenarios or cases of these fatalities happening and their families sharing their thoughts. This way, it will put the actual dangers and responsibilities of driving in their mind and will be a realization point that driving is not a joke or a game, but a responsibility that if not taken seriously and done in the right mindset, can lead to major financial loss, injuries, or worst-case scenario, death. For drivers who are older, and have had cases of reckless driving, going to informational meetings or group sessions can be crucial for these drivers to understand the importance of driving with safety, and will help them learn the amount of damage that can be done if a fun and reckless driving spree turns bad. I love my truck and love driving, and now more than ever, I understand the importance of driving safety and the responsibility I hold, so everyone can enjoy the freedom and greatness of driving, just like I do.