When asked to write an essay about how driver education can reduce the number of deaths, it came easy to me. Not just being a police officer’s daughter came to mind, but a time when there was nothing that could be done, a time when my grandparents got run over by a tractor during a parade. As close to death as they were, it was frightening. It was frightening to know that people are out in the world who do not know their vehicles well enough to stop it from hurting others. From my grandmother being trapped under a tractor tire, to hearing the erratic screams of my young cousins who rolled under the tractor, to my grandfather being pinned upside down against a building, it took a toll on me. The man driving, 82 at the time, was in no condition to be driving if he was not able to keep his vehicle in control. As horrific as the accident was, I was determined to make sure that the event that caused so much pain and suffering would not happen to anyone again. No, I cannot stop it and protect the world, but I can try my best to make sure it occurs less. Steps I can take to be better and help others is to learn more about the transportation source I use everyday. I can use my knowledge to educate others on how to get out of a black ice spin, or when the brakes lock, or any circumstance of that matter.
When one’s car does not stop and one does not know what to do, they freeze. I have experienced this as my father’s co-worker was struck by a vehicle, on a highway, as he was making a traffic stop. He was thrown into the air, nothing to do, and hit the pavement with little to no cushion due to a person not being in control of their vehicle. His life was forever changed by one who did not move over for a police officer when they were just trying to do their job. Hearing this news at such a young age, I knew when I was able to drive, I would always move over and do my best for others as well. Steps I take for this is if a moving car does not start to merge over which there is a police officer, I flash my lights. Flashing my lights gives a signal to the vehicle in front of me to move over, as they should, to ensure the officer on duty is safe. Deaths are not to be taken lightly, especially when they are young children or adults. Driving is a key to freedom, until it is not. Freedom also means more responsibility and as one grows up, the use of alcohol can influence that. The Fourth of July, a bigger holiday for the State of Ohio is an excuse for impaired driving. Everybody drinks on the fourth, it is okay to drive home, it is a five minute drive. Until it ended in 133 arrests this past Fourth by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and approximately 11 fatalities. That is eleven families' lives changed forever and ones that will not ever be the same. Most are educated on the importance of not driving even after having a sip of alcohol, especially when younger, but the impact it has on those who suffer from that one night of drinking a little too much is unmatched. Drunk driving is a huge problem and one should have to go through a course of seeing the impact it has on those in their own hometown, it gets through to them more than they acknowledge. Seeing the aftermath of a night gone wrong, by a person their own age, may just be the push they need to call their parents and say I need a ride or call an Uber. That one program can change and have a huge impact on the number of deaths the world sees by drunk driving. If a person is arrested for driving under the influence, they should have to take a course on the impact they could have had to others or even their own family. One story that will forever stay with me, is when my father , a retired state patrol man, told me that he had to handle an accident on I-75 that resulted in a full family death due to a drunk driver. The man was impaired and driving his two children on the wrong side of the highway and crashed into a family of 4 going home from vacation and killed them all. One person caused an unknown amount of suffering for another because he was impaired. These stories do not happen once, they happen everyday. The hurt and pain that the officers go through having to tell families that their loved ones will not be having another birthday, will not be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, causes a long lasting pain that will never go away. Driving education needs to be better. It will never be perfect, but the world can do better. The steps one person takes by going to that class, by calling a family member or Uber, may just be the life versus death decision.
Overall, driving education can be better. The few life experiences I have dealt with are not as horrific as others, but I have seen first hand the hurt caused by driving without an education. Like school, one learns in kindergarten how to write their name, but at sixteen one does not know how to stop their car from going in circles, or to merge into a different lane so an officer keeps his life. It pains me to know this is our world. Driving education is almost as important as education for everyday life. The steps I can take are little, but may be able to persuade that one person from driving and can keep a family alive. The world needs help and more driving education that shows how the one can affect the other one when driving would decrease the number of deaths. Remember to know your responsibility and know how you can truly impact the lives of others.