Name: A'Sha Whittaker
From: Mount Pleasant, MI
Votes: 17
A
Story from Behind the Wheel
The summer of 2018 I was involved in my first car accident and it
was by far the scariest situation I was in. It happened in a blink of
an eye and since then I learned to become a more conscious driver, I
learned that I’m not just driving for me but that I’m also
driving for those around me. It’s easy to become a distracted
driver and forget about the safety of yourself and those around.
Actions like looking down at your phone for a second, changing the
radio station, anything that causes you to look away from the road is
a form of distraction and can put not only yourself in danger but
those around you as well. This was a lesson I learned from my
accident and from then I transitioned my focus to realizing that
looking away from the road for a second is dangerous. I feel like
expressing and sharing real stories with first time drivers in
drivers ed of distracted driving incidents will cause them
to see that even looking away for a second can cause a dangerous
situation. Making distracted driving an important lesson in drivers
training can eventually reduce the number of deaths as a result of
driving. I feel like first time drivers especially don’t understand
the importance of it and don’t realize its real until it actually
hits home for them. The first steps that should be taken to reduce
the number of deaths related to driving is making all first time
drivers and those who have to renew their license take an educational
course online before getting their actual license. The next step has
already been taking into place which is allowing phones to go on a
driving mode where it’ll automatically send incoming calls and
text a message that’ll inform them that you’re currently driving.
The last step that should be taken is to continue educating drivers
on the importance of not being a distracted driving and expressing to
them that they also drive for those around them as well. The steps
that I can personally take in being a better and safer driver is
putting my phone completely away, always paying attention to the road
and practicing what I preach to others. To help others become better
and safer drivers I can call them out when they become distracted
along with educating them on distracted driving. Just from my
personal experience of being involved in a car accident, I feel like
telling my story will help those realize that it can happen to anyone
in a blink of an eye.
