The
Importance of Safe Driving: Learning the Dignity to Life


Being 17 years,
I began my driving experience about 2 years ago with my permit and a
drivers ed course. Before this process, I thought driving
would be the easiest step in becoming an adult. In reality, it is
much more than that. While driving is considered to be lots of fun
and another step toward independence, it requires lots of education
and skill to master the safety of being on the road. My driver’s
education classes taken at Bishop Dwenger High School taught me the
importance of safety, along with the basic facts, and how easy it is
for an accident to occur. While attending these classes, we watched
videos of people affected by the dangers of driving while intoxicated
and texting while driving. That, to me, was an eye-opening
experience. My parents, teachers, and other adults talked about the
dangers of these crimes, but never have I heard stories and seen
pictures of what can actually happen. I will remember those specific
lessons for the rest of my life. Those videos will always stick by me
as a reminder to be fully aware and on the lookout as I take on the
road. As I walked into that first drivers ed class, my mindset
was elsewhere, thinking it was just a class I needed to quickly pass
in order to get my license. In reality, those lessons shaped me into
the driver I am today.

The last few
years have been a real journey, first with all my friends getting
their licenses and gaining their trust, and then me taking on the
road as well. So far, I have had one traumatic experience in a car
accident. I was not the driver, but I was in the passenger seat with
a car full of friends on a snowy January night. We lost control on an
icy road, and that is all I can remember to this day. It was a
blessing none of us had life threatening injuries, but I took a lot
away from that experience. First, it hit me just how precious life
is. Life can change in just the blink of an eye, and because of that
I grew closer to my friends and family. Second, I learned that no
matter how careful you are on the roads, something can still happen
in an instant, and we must always be aware. I know for a fact that I
don’t want to be responsible for another person’s death and my
own on the road. Getting my license after this experience has allowed
me to be the best driver to my ability, taking all safety
precautions. Driving is a privilege. It can change one’s life for
the better, or it can change it for the worst.