Drivers Ed Essay

When I began driving in my sophomore year of high school, I saw this as a gateway to begin my journey of adulthood. Driving is an honorable privilege that must have rules to ensure the avoidance of exploitation and rule-breaking on the road. Driving for me was not an easy task, as I could not reach the pedals and had to sit on a pillow to see the road in front of me. I was only 4 ft 11 and was practicing driving my dad’s Dodge Ram work truck. I still began to learn and took every opportunity my father offered me to begin driving. I am now a senior at Bishop John J. Snyder High School, and I am one of the many students who have the privilege to drive to school in the mornings. On September 14th, 2024 of my senior year, I was a passenger in a vehicle owned by my boyfriend. Andrew was a very good driver. He always made sure to obey street signals, signs, passages, and road detours. Today, he and I were driving down a local street, named Normandy, from our trip to Chick-fil-A. We had wanted a snack, so we ordered on the mobile app and began to drive home. I was not afraid of him driving, as we had driven down this road plenty of times before. As we passed my grandparent’s house, a car that a drunk driver was driving struck us head-on. The airbags deployed and me and him had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. The driver fled the scene, as well as two other passengers who were in the car. The police found various bottles of alcohol and substances in the vehicle. This was a very traumatizing event that me and him had to go through. I hope that through my experience, people can realize how important vehicle safety is.

At the hospital, I was in great pain. I had many cuts, scrapes, and bruises. My boyfriend had fractured his right arm severely. I had fractured my left foot, but not nearly as bad as Andrew. I had felt so guilty for wanting to go to Chick-fil-A. Prior to this accident, I have always suffered from major depressive disorder and anxiety. My anxiety had only worsened from then on. I could not drive without having a panic attack until December. I had visited many counselors until I found the one that was right for me. My boyfriend and I struggled through our relationship, but so far we have persevered and are still together. This accident has not only left physical scars but also emotional ones. Being a hard-working student, maintaining a 3.9 GPA, and being involved in various extracurricular activities, This accident halted my school work to a stop. I am part of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa, and National Art Honor Society. The pressure of school and this accident turned my senior year into a nightmare.

I have tried my best to grow over these few months to be able to drive again. I have practiced and have made quite an improvement. Financially my parents had suffered because the people did not have insurance and Florida is a no-fault state. We were faced with medical bills and Andrew had totaled out his car. I am beginning college soon at the University of North Florida, and need financial assistance in continuing my journey due to this accident. I have tried to earn the Florida Bright Future scholarship, but still need to work on my ACT score. Applying for scholarships is important to me since I understand that my family needs help to be able to provide me with an education.

Driving is not only a privilege, but a dangerous situation to be in. You are in a moving vehicle that can flip, slide, turn, and be crushed at any moment. You must pay full attention to the road and be aware of other drivers around you. More precautions for younger drivers need to be in place. Ways to prevent crashes on the road can involve a greater security measure, to obtain your license. I have heard many stories from locals in my area of people obtaining licenses that do not truly follow Road rules. I often hear about many of my classmates bragging about speeding, drinking while driving, and texting while driving. A way to prevent people from believing that these driving habits are “ cool” could be implementing more PSAs for them to be aware of and the removal of phones while driving. I think an important feature that should be implemented in cars should be the temporary disablement of the phone screen. plugging in your phone to a USB cable or connecting through Bluetooth can allow you to play your favorite songs still, but turning the screen dark on your phone will prevent one more distraction to driving. The automatic disablement of the screen will stop once the vehicle is parked and you disconnect your phone. Another way of ensuring safety could be getting your license renewed more often. This could be an important step in removing dangerous people from the road. I am almost in college and I still have a license from when I was 15 years old. Showing people how important it is to drive safely during their driver’s license renewal is key to enforcing their adherence to safe driving.

I strongly believe in safety regulations for the road. I do not want others to experience the tragic situation that I experienced due to impaired drivers. stricter regulation of those who obtain licenses and fewer car features that promote the usage of cellular devices could be a step in the right direction for the new generation of road safety. I am a lucky person for surviving such a terrible accident, but remembering those who did not ever make it off of the road one night, or never got to return home due to an impaired driver is an important thought that one should think before getting behind the wheel.