Two
summers ago, my mother got caught in an accident in which the driver
had rammed into the rear of their car, and although the damage wasn’t
devastating, it was enough to entirely destroy the back of my
mother’s car and put her in physical therapy for 3 months. 
This
incident, however awful it was at that time, didn’t even come close
to the worst cases of accidents that happen on the road. When I first
entered drivers ed, the first thing the teachers showed the
class were videos of what happened to drivers who were caught in car
accidents. The gruesome and catastrophic effects of these accidents
were images that I will never forget, and it made me much more aware
that even though one drives safely, there will always be another on
the road who isn’t. 
Driver’s
education has emphasized to me the importance of being aware of my
surroundings, which is why there are so many issues involving
intoxicated driving or using a cell phone. I, honestly, don’t drive
safe all the time, and when I use my cell phone while I drive, there
were times where I’ve missed a traffic signal or almost crashed
with another driver. These simple distractions, as I’ve learned,
may result in severe consequences for not only the driver, but his or
her peers. In educating the public of the power of distractions and
the significance of concentration on one’s surroundings while
driving can help reduce the number of casualties due to car
accidents. 
There
are already many laws implemented for driving safety, yet it’s
difficult to enforce them and see them come into effect. One of our
best influences for behavior is typically our peers such as family,
friends, co-workers, and others. I picked up a lot of my driving
habits from my parents and friends, and I can’t say that all of
them are safe. Although old habits are hard to break, new ones are
easy to follow, and by simply correcting peers and their driving
habits or by demonstrating safe behavior while driving, one can
influence others to drive safely and avoid accident. Another source
that’s available is one’s technology. I believe that technology,
for better or worse, cannot be ignored within our world’s ever
growing knowledge, and there are resources on one’s phone or car
that will help limit the distractions presented in driving. Educating
oneself of these sources may also limit the number of accidents that
occur on the road. 
Thinking
about my mother’s accident, it wasn’t her fault, and the accident
itself was considered small, and yet it still greatly affected my
family. I titled this essay “” because I
believe that with healthy driving behavior, one will be able to
positively contribute to society and correctly influence others into
doing so However, the same will occur with poor driving conduct, and
will ultimately result in an unsafe environment for everyone and fail
to bring awareness to the importance of driving safely.