Name: Elise Turner
From: Grapevine, Texas
Votes: 0
Being
the third and final child in my family, when it came time for my
parents to teach me how to drive, it felt more like a chore to them
than a responsibility. Not that I blame them, especially considering
how long and tedious the process can be. I remember one time in
particular, I was driving on the highway with my mom. I wanted to
merge into the left lane, so I put my blinker on and looked in my
mirrors. Since I didn’t see another car in the left lane, I decided
to go ahead and merge. In this case looks were deceiving; there was
in fact a car in the left lane that I couldn’t see due to my blind
spot. I was lucky enough to see the car at the last moment and got
back into my lane as fast as I could. It may not sound like much to
another person, but this instance had a profound impact on how I
looked at the dangers of driving and how everyone could be affected
by one mistake. If I’m being honest, I was so disappointed in
myself at the mistake I had made that I pulled into a parking lot and
started to cry. Up until that point in learning how to drive, I
wasn’t taking driving as seriously as I should have. I heard about
accidents and thought “that won’t happen to me, that only happens
to other people.” It made me reevaluate my priorities as a driver;
from then on safety for myself and others became a priority. In a
way, my situation was bittersweet, but not everyone else can learn
like I did. In order for me to continue to be a safe driver, and to
encourage safe driving among fellow drivers, I think it’s important
for me to share some of the dangerous experiences and mistakes I have
made. It allows for others to be more willing to share their personal
experiences as well. The more an issue is confronted and talked
about, the more we raise awareness. And with an issue as serious as
safe driving, it’s a topic that needs to be discussed among friends
and family often in order to prevent as many deaths as possible.
That’s why it’s so important for proper drivers ed; the
last thing any of us wants is to lose someone close to us. When we
hear about stories of fatal car wrecks, we think it would never
affect us personally, until it does. Creating more safe drivers
prevents fatal car accidents. When I think about the day I almost got
into an accident, I think about the consequences that could have
potentially come from my mistake. People could have been hurt, which
was enough for me to fix my mindset. Safe driving may not always be
the most convenient thing to do, but when it comes to preventing
potentially fatal accidents from happening, it’s one of the most
necessary things to do.
