Being the age of seventeen, I’ve had a little over a year of experience of driving on my own. When it comes to someone who is just learning to drive it may be very scary to drive on major roads. When starting out you may want to just get used to driving and use any side roads or back roads just to get used to maneuvering a car. After you start getting comfortable with driving a little, is when you can start to practice on some major roads. I would recommend not going through any major or busy cities, because that is where the most dangerous and reckless drivers may be.
I believe it is very important for anyone between the ages of 15 to 18 to need to do some type of drivers’ education in order to obtain their drivers’ permit or license. I believe it is also very crucial for any age to be responsible when driving and to follow the laws even when someone isn’t looking. There’s a lot of people in this world who think that driving safety isn’t really important and that they don’t need to learn anything else about driving because they must know everything. To follow every law and rule would mean you maintain a safe distance, look both ways before crossing the road, fully stop at all stop signs and lights, make sure you drive a safe speed and never drive over the speed limit that is posted on the road.
When wanting to save a life it is always easy to remember to do the right thing. You can remember to keep your seatbelt on, not get in the driver’s seat when intoxicated with either alcohol or drugs of any amount, stay calm on the roads and with other people, and never use your phone or reach over to grab something when both hands need to be on the wheel. If you were to experience road rage you may become reckless and want to hurt an innocent human being which you are angry at. If you wanted to reach over and grab whatever fell to the floorboards you may need to unbuckle your seatbelt to reach it. If you were to unbuckle your seatbelt, and then be hit by another car and not be able to see another beautiful day on Earth. If you were to get in the driver’s seat with alcohol or any kind of drug in your system you may hit a car with someone not wearing a seatbelt. Your life decisions may cause an effect on another persons’ life decisions, possibly causing both you and another persons’ life to end so short.
In the event you do experience a type of road rage or just become some type of angry or sad, it would be smart to pull over to the nearest gas station or even just somewhere you can stop and breathe for a minute before going back onto the road. Keeping both hands on the wheel ensures you to the maximum amount of control over the car. I think it is the most important aspect about being in a car and especially when you are the one driving, is to keep your seatbelt on! You may trust yourself when driving but you can’t control the way other people think and act, although you never know what may happen to yourself and you may just drift of the road or maybe even worse.
Anyone in the nation, but mainly in the greater Houston area, knows of the Kailee Mills Foundation. For the people who don’t know of her story, Kailee was in the car with some friends when she decided to unbuckle her seatbelt to take a selfie at the age of 16. The car was hit by a drunk driver. She passed away on October 28, 2017. With multiple others in the car, her being the only one without a seatbelt, and being the only one to be gone too fast and too young. My family and I know this story very well as Kailee was my God-sister’s best friend. One small decision can change the life of you and others, even if you thought it would be a harmless act.
What you do may cause horrible things to happen to other people. Your decisions cause other decisions, being safe when driving is so important I don’t think there are enough words to describe it. The next time you get into a car, always remember that there are other people with loving mothers and fathers who care about them, remember they have a life too, remember that there is a greater purpose for both me and you.