I just recently got my license back in March. It was one of the more terrifying things that I have ever had to do. For me, a small girl, to operate such a heavy-duty piece of machinery is such a wild concept to me. I've been surrounded by motorcycles my entire life. Though they aren't cars, they are just as astounding. Because of this lifestyle, I've seen a lot of death. I remember a few years ago I was at a waterpark with my cousins. I just so happened to see a family friend with his wife and daughter. That weekend on the news it showed that he lost his life in a motorcycle accident. My cousin's fiance also lost his life in a motorcycle accident. He got distracted on the highway and got into a head-on collision with a semi-truck. These are just a few lives that I've witnessed taken by vehicular accidents.

I believe drivers ed is important, extremely important. The numbers don't lie. But, people just aren't going to understand until it's one of their own. Not saying that I would wish that upon anyone because the heartbreak of losing a loved one to something so preventable is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. But, I do feel like if people took time out of their days to become more educated on the victim's stories; become acquainted with the family's pain, then they would be less willing to answer the text or call.

You know things happen, I understand that nobody is perfect. As you've probably deduced from my previous stories, I'm a pretty careful driver. But, I do have my moments. I don't particularly like being in a car by myself. It's just something about the silence that throws me off. Instead, I bring others along, or I play music to keep my anxiety at bay. But, I do, unfortunately, have a short attention span. Loud music or my friends talking to me does bring my focus off the road, I do shamefully admit. I can proudly say that I don't touch my phone while driving, though. Teenagers get a bad rep for that. Most of the kids that I know all refuse to check their phone at a stop sign, much less while driving.

Anyhow, I do realize the significance of these mistakes. You would think with all of the things that I've witnessed firsthand that I would be more careful. But nobody's perfect. What I can do, though, is to pledge that I will take my time behind the wheel. I think my rushing tends to make me anxious. Which, in turn, activates the panicking, and that is the perfect equation for an accident, and that's something I'm trying to avoid. I would never want to have to put my family through seeing my name as a headline on the news. That thought alone motivates me to put an end to these habits.