Safety Is What Really Matters

In this generation of teenagers has begun to develop the fear of the road; especially driving on it. I have lived in Los Angeles, California all my life and almost all the kids I’ve met in school is barely learning Driver’s Education. The procrastination is developed by the fear of the dangerous drivers out there and they don’t want to face that horrible sight face to face. I was in their shoes earlier in Senior year as well. After experiencing the fear in my heart that night opened up a new level of caution in my mind.

My first cat died the night before and we were going to bury him the next day. So, when night came again, my dad and I got home after my softball game and we got the shovels and started digging. In the meantime, my mom and little brother went to get dinner for all four of us. An hour has passed, we were wondering they were. So, we tried calling my mom, but there was no answer. We were worried but we thought that maybe there was a long line at the drive thru. We got a phone call from the hospital and have been told that my mom and little brother has been in a bad car accident. The fear that my dad and I felt at that moment, even now I couldn’t explain it clearly. After that horrib;e night, I kept wondering if my mom will ever recover fully from the traumatic wreck. She was in the UCLA Trauma for 2 weeks and in ICU for another 2 weeks before she was in a regular hospital bed. We were told that the guy that hit her ran 3 red lights before and was going 80 mph in a 40 mph zone. He wasn’t under the influence which is even scarier thinking about it. This sober man hit my mom and pushed her into another car that resulted in the same injures that my mom got. Even though I wasn’t there at that moment, I still developed that fear of the road.

The car accident was in 2014 but I still have that raw fear whenever I drive. Sometimes it’s a good thing; but it doesn’t feel good. It had made me a cautious driver and I’m getting better my the day but, I can’t get over the thought that there might be someone that is just as crazy as the guy that changed my family’s lives forever. My mom recovered to the best of the body’s abilities. Her hips mobility due to a fractured femur is reduced to a little range in motion compared to before. I know not everybody has the traumatic experience but they see it from social media and the fear accumulates from there and on. Driver’s education can help filter the fear and overcome it in time. The importance of listening to the lessons and having the routine before every drive is crucial for reducing the deaths in driving. Some people forget the routine and they are less aware of their surroundings when they drive at 25 mph to 75 mph. Driver’s education teaches teens the safer steps they practice so the results in driving deaths can be reduced.

When I started my driving lessons, I was super nervous about failing to do well during my first time. Once the instructor taught me all the safety checks and procedures I do everytime I drive helped me gain confidence in myself. I gradually got better but I was still pretty nervous every appointment; due to my fear of driving. While changing lanes, turning left at controlled or uncontrolled moments scare me still. It brings back the moments of my mom’s accident and how bad it was due to that crazy driver. I know not everybody is like that one the road but I can’t help being afraid. Due to time, I’ll get better on the road.

Those steps can help many teens and other ages be safer on the roads. I know there are many other steps that can reduce the chances of dangerous driving but, I wanted to address the safety routines during the drive because I can connect on a personal level. Also, being able to have a strong reasoning behind my passion about being safe is a good voice that can be finally heard. Due to many tragedies, by keeping safe behind the wheel will surely help in the future.