Driving with a purpose.

Kate
Valero

May 19, y

We’ve all had
that moment in time when all you could think about was learning how
to drive. Being able to explore places you’ve never been before
with friends, or escaping the house when you had that urge for
solitude. Driving is more than just a car and a person. Memories are
built within destinations. Anxiously waiting to take your driving
course and getting your drivers license is one step closer to
adulthood that many teenagers are waiting for to grasp those moments
of freedom.

Before it’s
time to be behind the wheel we aren’t always thinking “what if
this will be my last goodbye or last kiss I gave to a loved one.”
Because not many people know the danger that comes with driving. Each
year around 34,000 people have died due to driving accidents. As a
country these numbers are unacceptable and the reasoning for these
deaths have come from a few sources and most of them all lead to the
carelessness of driving and cellphones.

Nowadays,
social media and posting everything you do has been part of our
society. Unfortunately texting and driving has been a high percentage
of the death tolls here in the United States. I am guilty to being
part of that percentage because in the past year a couple seconds of
looking down on my phone to answer a text that could have waited
almost cost me my life. In a matter of seconds I had no control of
the vehicle I had my hands on. My life flashed before me and the next
thing I noticed I had fire fighters asking me a multitude of
questions and my neck having this excruciating stiffness. For just
one text I lost my car, I lost so many of hours of me having to work
to compensate my parents for having to pay a higher insurance rate,
and lost my peace of mind. Every time I stepped into someone’s car
I had moments of PTSD happening, thinking that an accident was going
to occur.

I believe that
it’s not that we are oblivious of what can happen while being a
careless driver, but that the thought of death is not what we take
into consideration. We tend to believe that we are invincible, and
certain things won’t affect us.

As much as we
want the best for ourselves, we can only achieve that if we take
initiative in the things we do. Such as putting our phones down,
being cautious of our surroundings while driving, and reaching down
to answer a text. One glance at our phones can cost someone their
life. There is a high 81 percent of Americans who own smartphones and
have the smart driving option to help reduce the need to look on down
at a notification. A notification shouldn’t cost anyones life. We
need to better our planet by creating good habits that will make our
Earth a safer place for our dear loved ones.