Drivers ed is
crucial, and people really should try and retain more from it.
Everything that I learned during my time in drivers ed has
helped me to continue to stay a safe driver after having my license
for a year and a half. The more people are educated on the rules of
the road, the less accidents and mishaps there are, and that leads to
less driving related deaths. I think one of the biggest problems with
driving is distracted driving, mostly due to phones. A quick fix for
this is to keep your phone out of reach while you are driving,
especially if you can’t seem to help yourself. If you really need
to use your phone, then stop somewhere like a parking lot to use it.
Another crucial aspect to reducing driving related deaths is
awareness. It is about making this whole thing a reality for people.
Most people believe that an accident like this could never happen to
them. It only happens to other people. But the truth is that it can
happen to anyone. One night when I was in eighth grade, my mom was
driving my brother and I home after a football game. My brother and I
were in the backseat, just talking, when we felt a sudden impact at
the back of the car. The driver of a truck had rear-ended us and it
shattered the entire back windshield. Glass was all over the inside
of the car. It turns out the driver had been looking at his phone,
and was so distracted that he didn’t even slow down before he hit
us. None of us were hurt, thank goodness, but to this day, I am
terrified of people driving behind me, especially when the vehicle is
a truck. There was also a terrifying incident that happened a couple
of months ago to one of my friends. He was speeding down a road one
night when he lost control, hit a tree, and rolled down a hill. The
car was completely destroyed, but by some miracle, my friend was
okay. He was a little scratched up, but that was it. He could have
very easily died. It was really scary to come to that realization,
and both of these incidents have impacted the way that I drive. Once
people realize that these kinds of incidents can happen to anyone, we
can work to drive safely and responsibly. I refuse to touch my phone
when I am driving, and I try to do what I can to keep my friends off
their phones when they are driving as well. It may seem inconvenient,
but I think that staying alive and well is more important.