The Do’s And The Don’ts

When I first came across this scholarship, it quickly grabbed my attention. It involves a topic that will be ingrained in me forever; driving safely. In 2017, my parents and I were in an accident where our car flipped three times on the long island expressway. I solemnly believe in the saying “everything happens for a reason,” because from that accident, I learned two valuable lessons—the importance of wearing a seatbelt and how I should live my life to the fullest. The original plan was to go to the movies, and when we left, I wasn’t wearing a seat belt because I never thought it was necessary like most naive teenagers. Before entering the highway, we stopped to grab food at Wendy’s. Stopping to do so saved my life because when we finished eating, something told me to put on my seat belt. George Cayley, the inventor of the seat belt, reduced the risk of my family ejecting out of the vehicle after impact. Even after all that, I didn’t shy away from learning how to drive; nonetheless, it motivated me to drive safer.

I tell others about my story and how one slight mistake could have cost me my life. If that were to happen, then my parents could have been dumped with massive piles of medical bills and take months to pay off. I live in Brooklyn, NY, where some families can’t afford health insurance. To make sure I am never the cause of a death related to driving, I will always have my eyes on the road and maintain the speed limit. Because I’m under the age of drinking, I will get my license so that if my family or friends are drinking and can’t afford a cab, they can always call me.

It is vital to teach people, especially young teens, that a car is a machine that could take others’ lives if not handled thoughtfully. According to en.Wikipedia.org, it states, “263.6 million registered vehicles in the United States in 2015, most were passenger vehicles”. To elaborate, if new drivers were mandated to take several classes in drivers’ education, they could learn the do’s and don’ts, and the consequences of their actions. Driving while sleepy or texting is a stupid move that can cause death.

Bars and beer companies should take some responsibility for how to prevent intoxicated driving. I believe that bars should have cabs on standby to make sure no drunk person gets behind the wheel. Lastly, beer companies can advertise on social media platforms and celebrities to spread the word on how to drive safely. “Drivers ages 16-17 … have the highest rates of crash involvement, injuries to themselves and others.” according to aaafoundation.org. Focusing on teaching the younger crowd can be a long term solution as the teacher to their loved ones for years to come. It may be too late to teach older people but not too late for the youths.