I have always been fearful of driving; I am quite clumsy and fear even a slip up could come at the expense of a life. When I was 4, my mother was in a T-bone crash when an unlicensed driver ran into her after ignoring a stop sign. I am so fortunate that my mother was not critically injured. However, watching her struggle to complete every day task was hard for me. It had a lasting effect on my entire family. When she struggled to walk, talk, and hide her pain it left us in constant wonder of if she would ever be herself again. With years of therapy she recovered but to this day still feels pain in the left side of her body.
I have seen countless accidents due to living next to a highway for 4 years of my life. Even at the early age of 7, in the span of those short 4 years I noticed there was a problem. Drivers seemed so insensitive to their counterparts on the road. Flashy cars swerving and speeding to shows their dominance and luxury on roads that serve families, essential workers, and the elderly. If people are not responsible when in the driver's seat, the number of vehicle related fatalities will remain high.
Being a New Yorker, it feels like everyone is always in a rush. A rush to reach a destination, a rush to grow up, but what’s the rush? There are a few commonly known tips that if better enforced the roads would be impossibly safer. The first and most important rule is kindness. Every driver should have etiquette or a certain code of conduct. If someone to struggling to parallel park or trying to switch lanes, don’t be quick to honk, give them a chance. Treat other drivers the way you would like to be treated. Never take your eyes off the road. An accident can happen in a split second. Do not let that second be when your eyes are on your phone or anything else in the car. Always follow the law, do not leave room for “ifs” or “close calls.” Like, if that driver has stopped at the stop sign my mother would have never been in that crash. No one can enforce these rules besides the driver. Before getting behind the wheel, think about someone you love and how valuable their life is.
These rules are extremely important to me and are a major reason I waited until I felt responsible enough to live by them before learning to drive. Every day, I continue my journey of learning to drive safely and responsibly.
Always be considerate, there is no rush that should cause you your life or anyone else's.