Fifteen and a half arrived, and excitedly, off I went to sit for my temporary driving permit, as it was a milestone I’d been looking forward to for months. That evening my mom took me over to the church parking lot to practice driving. I remember thinking, “How hard can this be? Let me just get on the road and drive.” 

I had no idea what I had ahead of me when I buckled that seatbelt and put my foot to the pedal. Driving was no cake-walk as I had anticipated, but my mom was so patient and really helped me gain some confidence before saying, “Okay, are you ready to try your hand on the road?” I’m not going to lie, I was actually nervous, but my mom explained that I had to start somewhere, and she would never put us in any kind of danger. “Keep your head up, keep your eyes on the road, and be aware of your surroundings at all times,” were her first words as we began to exit the church lot. 

My sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel as I drove with a few other cars on the road alongside me. My mom had turned off the radio, and the purr of the engine and my pounding heart were the only sounds echoing throughout the car. Patiently, my mom asked me questions about the rules of the road and helped guide me with important information. After about an hour of two lane roads in my small community, mom said, “Okay, are you ready for the freeway?” I remember looking at her and exclaiming, “I’m going to get us killed if you put me on the freeway!” She chuckled and replied, “No, honey, I am right here, and you are not going to get us killed. These are very important lessons, and I want you to feel comfortable in all situations at all times of day or night.” 

Surprisingly, we survived that evening on the freeway and everyday thereafter, but it was because my mom was persistent in making me drive in a lot of different scenarios, whether it be country roads, freeways, early mornings, or late at night. She made sure I had well over those required 50 hours of driving before I tested for my real license six months later. 

Driver’s education classes were long, but I gained a lot of valuable information that only added to all that my mom was teaching me while we were in the car gaining the other side of the education. I will never forget my very first in-car experience with my driving course instructor. He was so impressed with my driving and said he had never felt so relaxed and comfortable with a student for a very long time. He praised my mom when she showed up to pick me up after my lesson. As we progressed through my driving course, my instructor also had me on back country roads, on the freeway, in the city, and he had me driving during the afternoon, at dusk, in the dark, and even in the rain. I felt so prepared for any situation when I finally graduated and took my test for the driver's license.

Fast forward to two years into being a full-fledged driver. It was early December, and I was driving to the gym at 5:30am during a foggy and dark morning. I was sitting at a stop light, and after it turned green, I began to slowly accelerate. Imagine my surprise when a deer jumped out of nowhere and hit the front of my car! I was able to hit my brakes and avoid serious injury, because I was focused and didn’t have any distractions. It was not definitely not expected, but I was alone on the road, and I was able to quickly recover and pull off the road into a parking lot. I called my mom, and I simply said, “Mom, I”m okay, but a deer just jumped out and hit my car.” She was alarmed, but she told me to lock the doors and sit tight until she and my dad could get to me. “Please be careful, mom, as it’s really dark, and the deer is probably still in the road.”  It wasn’t ten minutes later that they were both at my side. I climbed into the car with mom, obviously shaken, and my dad was able to slowly drive my damaged car home. 

That event shook me, but it also taught me that being alert and undistracted by music or a phone probably saved my life that morning. I had my eyes on the road, and as soon as that deer jumped, and it was in my vision, I was able to hit my brakes so that the impact was not as bad as it could have been. Had I not hit my brakes, that deer and his antlers would have come through my windshield, and I’m not sure I would be typing this essay. So many people my age get behind the wheel and take it for granted, not realizing that the vehicle they are driving is a weapon that can hurt others or themselves, if not handled with care. So many of my friends drive with loud music and cell phones at their side, distracted by unimportant things. Others drive while under the influence, and they never think twice. Our high school has lost a few young adults to driving recklessly or under the influence, and one mother lost her only child.


Admittedly, I thought my mom was over the top about preaching safety measures when I first started driving, but after two years of driving, I now know where she was coming from and why she was so adamant on me being safe. I now have a 16 year old sister who is a relatively new driver, constantly begging my mom for the keys. While my sister is a good driver, she often has her music too loud, and it makes me nervous for her. I see the fast drivers on the road, unaware of inexperienced young drivers around them, and they  just swerve in and out of traffic, constantly in a hurry, with zero patience for others on the road they are sharing. It’s not necessarily just about a person’s own driving, but rather, being aware of everyone driving around you. Drivers need to slow down, especially teenagers, and they need to avoid being distracted by outside noise or peer pressure, because it takes a split second for life as you know it to change in an instant.

Driver’s education programs need to continue to require multiple hours of driving prior to obtaining a license, and educators need to continue to ensure that young drivers have experience in all types of situations, whether it be day or night, or on a variety of road types. Knowing the laws is important, but understanding how to drive in any given situation while remaining alert and aware can save lives. Teenage drivers need to be reminded that it only takes a split second to make a life-altering decision that may not be able to be reversed. Schools need to bring in speakers who have gone through accident scenarios and lived to tell their stories. Community needs to come together to take a stand and if someone sees something dangerous, report it so proper actions can be taken to keep everyone within the community safe. It may not be the popular decision, but it’s the smart decision if lives are saved.