Name: Mikaela Stern
From: Simi Valley, CA
Votes: 0
What
You Don’t Know Can Kill You
Starting
kindergarten. Learning to drive. Graduating high school.
Graduating college. Getting a full-time job. Getting married.
Starting a family. These are just a few of the important milestones
that everyone looks forward to. Each one is an accomplishment to be
proud of. Unfortunately, many people do not have the opportunity to
experience these milestones.
Every
day, nearly one hundred people are killed in car accidents in the
United States alone. Imagine a Boeing 747 crashing every five days
and killing everyone on board. Now imagine that not a single one of
those airplane crashes was covered by national news networks. The
majority of passenger car accidents are not widely reported. And
many drivers, especially teenagers who are just learning to drive,
have no idea how common fatal car accidents are.
Education
should be the first and most important step in reducing the number of
deaths caused by driving. All drivers need to be better educated
about the frequency, causes, and effects of fatal accidents. People
need to recognize that they are not and will never be immune from
being involved in a crash. The advancement of technology in the past
several years has led to an increase in cell phone use, especially
among teens and young adults. Rather than developing software to
prevent the use of handheld devices while driving, tech companies are
making devices more accessible, and therefore more distracting. Many
car manufacturers have also added touchscreen displays that further
distract the driver. Even one second of distraction can mean the
difference between life and death. All drivers need to be aware of
the consequences of distracted driving before they are forced to
experience them first-hand.
Fortunately,
I have not been personally affected by a car accident. All of my
friends and family drive very responsibly and have been excellent
role models for me as I was learning to drive. There have been
several fatalities in my community caused by distracted or
irresponsible driving, and each of these incidents have affected the
community in their own way. I have learned from the actions of
others that nothing is so important that it is worth my life or
anyone else’s.
