What If It Happened To You?

Getting your license is the day every 16-year-old looks forward to. The idea of getting to drive around with you friends, go shopping, and that little bit of freedom is intriguing to many. But with that, the responsibility while driving goes out the window. Without having a parent in the car, most teens pick up their phone, look down at the radio, or so focused on talking to friends that their eyes are off the road. From that, many teenagers get into life threatening car accidents. There are a couple simple steps to be a safe driver, many teens and adults skip these steps because they find them inconvenient. One of those inconvenient steps could've save many peoples lives. In order to reduce severe injuries, buckle your seatbelt. Many people hate the uncomfortableness of a seatbelt against their neck, myself included. So instead of finding a solution to the irritation, they don't wear it at all. Some buckle it behind their back so their car  stops beeping at them. The seatbelt is in the car for a reason, instead of being careless, go by a seatbelt cover from any store near you. From results found on Google, seatbelts reduce death risk by 45% to 60% in serve car accidents, and almost 48% of people who died in car accidents every year were not wearing their seatbelts. A simple factor can change your life. It is super simple to get in the car, buckle up, put your phone in the cupholder or in your phone stand, and start your music before you begin driving. But many people skip all of these steps and risk their life daily. And many people won't change those habits until they have something life-threatening happen to them. In Pennsylvania, a new law has came that you cannot even hold your phone while driving. Still, at every intersection, I see people on their phones. While passing people on the highway, I watched them swerve as they're trying to send a text. Not only are these people risking their lives, but mine too. What if I was unaware of somebody being on their phone and I go to pass and they swerved in my lane? Is a text really that important that you can't wait 10 minutes? Think if you were in the other role. Siblings, parents, or even kids in the car, and somebody inconsiderate and on their phone crashes into you. Being on your phone is not only risking your life, but everyone around you. It is so important to stress it to your kids with their permits to put their phone down and follow safety steps Don't let them change the song while sitting at a red light. Don't let them begin driving till everyone in the car has a seatbelt on. Don't let them touch the radio. These are all bad habits that begin by not being corrected. How would you feel if one day you got a call that your child was in an accident because they were on their phone, or had more severe injuries because they weren't wearing their seatbelt. But this is all stuff that you could've drilled in their head while they had their permit. As a younger kid, I was in a car accident on my back to school night. It was one of the scariest experiences I've had in my life.  We were making a left-hand turn into the plaza with TJ Maxx to pick out some last-minute back to school outfits. The driver of the other car ran the red light because he was on his phone. My dad had screamed to my mom car. In that moment, she had to react as fast as she could. There was truly no way of avoiding the accident, so my dad told her to stop so his side would get T-boned and my brother and I wouldn't be affected as badly. The driver crashed into the passenger side door, hurting my dad's leg very bad. But because of my dad's quick reaction, my mom was able to stop so my brother and I only suffered from a headache. This guy kept apologizing and felt really bad, but because of his poor judgment I was very scared to get into a car for months. In addition to that, while coming home from grocery shopping my mom, my brother, and I we're sitting at a red light waiting to make a left-hand turn to go home. We were all laughing and suddenly we got rear ended. The woman behind us was too focused on her sandwich to realize that it was a red light. They got out right there and decided to turn left and pull off into a gravel parking lot. But after getting into a car again, she threw the rest of her sandwich out the window to hide the true reason she ended us. She had tried to say that my mother backed into her, and I think that was because she was so ashamed of her mistake. Luckily, my accidents weren't too severe. But many people get severe injuries daily because of someone like the people I had experienced car accidents with. I never truly got to reflect on my driving up until I'm reading this essay. And from now on, I will never bat an eye at my phone again. Although I always wear my seatbelt, I have to argue with my brother and some of his friends a lot of the time. Sometimes it gets so annoying, I just let it go. From this point forward, I'm not letting it go. If I were into an accident, I truly understand the severity that could come without a seatbelt. I'm very glad that I decided to apply for this scholarship, because my mindset just got reinforced by my own research into why it is important to know driver safety. Many people drive past car accidents, see them on the news, or even on Facebook, but because it doesn't affect them personally, they won't change their habits. Before putting the car in drive, ask yourself: What if it happened to you?