The
Importance of Driving Responsibly


By:
Autumn Becker


















I took driver’s
education when I was sixteen. I aced my driver’s test. I took the
defensive driver course. I listened to my parents. I did all the
right things, but that would not have prepared me for what happened
when I was nineteen.

It was the
fourth of July. I was sitting in the backseat of my mom’s Toyota
Tacoma holding my puppy. We were at a complete stop waiting for the
crossing guard to finish leading a crowd of people across the street.
My puppy, Fonzi, wiggled free and was exploring the back of the
truck. My brother said, “You should probably get him before we
start moving again.” I took my seatbelt off to gather him back into
my lap when I saw my mom in the rearview mirror. With a look of
horror, she yelled, “Hang on, kids!”


A woman was driving 75 mph and texting on her phone not paying
attention to the line of traffic stopped. We were the last vehicle in
the line. She did not hit the brakes. She hit our truck so hard she
crunched the bed of the truck up to the back window. I had no time to
brace myself and my seatbelt was still off. I remember watching my
puppy slide underneath the passenger seat. I remember hitting my face
off the driver’s side headrest. I remember the instant headache I
got when the back of my head shattered the glass window in the back
of the truck. I remember feeling a warm liquid splash my entire body.
My mom had a gallon of water in the truck for emergencies and it
warmed up in the July weather. It went airborne and hit the front
windshield before exploding. I thought it was blood.


Luckily, we all made it out of the accident alive, but this situation
could have turned out very differently. Situations like this have
killed others involved. If the woman who hit us had been through
drivers ed, she may have been a more responsible driver. She
may not have been texting and speeding at the same time. She may not
have caused one of the most traumatic days of my life. This is the
reason drivers ed is so important in reducing the number of
auto accident related deaths. Drivers ed should be made easily
available to all permit-age teenagers and required before granting
them a license. Some great steps we can all take to drive safer is to
put our phones away, get plenty of sleep before driving, and never
drive while under the influence. It sounds obvious, but it takes
self-control and discipline for some to follow these basic rules of
safe driving. Sometimes, we must learn the hard way, like the woman
who caused our accident. Other times, we can read stories like mine,
and learn a valuable lesson about keeping our roads safe for others
and ourselves.