The Impact of Reckless Driving

Abdelmalek 2 Karen Abdelmalek In the Driver’s Seat Scholarship On a Tuesday in 2016 we received a message from a friend stating that his son had tragically lost his life in a car accident on the freeway. Many questions arose when we heard this alarming news: was he on his phone? was the person who hit his car drunk? The unfortunate details were revealed days later in the funeral. A drunk driver had hit the side of Mark’s car causing it to flip over leaving him with a brain hemorrhage on the right shoulder of the freeway. While this story is heartbreaking every day the US faces more deaths by drunk or by texting drivers. To reduce deaths like Mark’s we must focus on ways our community can work against these fatalities. Communities must not take reckless driving lightly, we must come together and help reduce the number of teens who see that this issue can be taken lightly. In a recent study, it was concluded that 33% of all teen deaths come from reckless behavior while driving which leads to a crash. Adults should also set a good example for their teens while driving. If a teen sees that a parent is texting while driving or is driving over the speed limit they will see that these actions are normal and will act in this way which can lead to the loss of lives. But it is not only the community or families that teach responsibility while driving, but drivers ed also teaches a lot to students about the consequences of their behavior on the road. Our drivers ed teaches us that there are rules that we must follow. For example, on my first time driving with my driving instructor I learned that when I see road rage or a drunk driver that I should stay calm and not act aggressively lest I provoke that person and be the cause of an injury. I also learned that no matter how many phone calls I get or how important a text is that I should not answer. My instructor told me “be careful when you are driving. Driving while texting at 55 miles per hour for 5 seconds is equivalent to driving a whole football field while looking down at your phone.” This fact both scared me and enlightened me. Without drivers ed in our society, we would not be enlightened to these scary and harsh facts. Drivers ed gives people the chance to find out more about their driving habits and ways for them to be safer on the road. Without drivers ed, we would not learn the etiquette of driving. Driving is not only about getting behind the wheel and staying at the speed limit, but it is also about making sure that others around you are safe. Driving is about being respectful and careful. We must share the road not hog it or be harmful.