Educating to Make a Difference

Educating to Make a Difference

Throughout my 18 years living in the United States, I have witnessed a multitude of car accidents. These accidents have ranged from minimal fender-benders, to accidents causing severe injury, and unfortunately to the deaths of people I hold with me in my heart today. I have seen time and time again the tragic reality of how peoples’ lives can change in an instant after a car crash, and this has led me to always hold driver safety above everything when I am in control of a vehicle. As a highschool student in the Driver’s Education Program at my high school, I felt the importance of driving safely through watching documentaries, reviewing studies of how accidents can be prevented, and learning the rules of the road in class. In my eyes, education is beyond essential to reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving because I believe that consistant instruction leads to understanding. Throughout the duration of my Driver’s Education class, my fellow classmates and I were shown the reality of how to prevent the number of deaths related to driving. To name a few these included, wearing a seatbelt, always looking behind you when your vehicle is in reverse, staying consistent with vehicle maintenance, driving cautiously by scanning the road twelve seconds ahead, never driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and never driving distracted. I will never forget the last day of the class when it was time to reflect on the course, and almost all of us stated that the way we saw driving as a whole changed. I am a firm believer that through educating drivers, especially new drivers, the number of deaths from driving can be reduced by instructing them on the dangers of driving carelessly.

I have been in a car accident as a new driver where I got myself into a fender-bender situation after the driver in front of me braked quickly, and I ended up hitting the back of their car. Thankfully, there were no injuries, and although the damage was minimal, this accident was a wakeup call for me. Since that accident, I have improved as a driver, and I have not been in any accidents since. As far as driving irresponsibly goes, my grandmother was a victim in the passenger seat as she passed away in a car wreck because the driver was distracted. From this experience, I felt the heaviness of how quickly everything can change. However, with her passing, I made it my duty to make sure that even if I am the passenger in the vehicle to make sure the driver is focused. After my first car accident, I have been committed to driving safely by always looking both ways, never driving distracted, making sure seat belts are on everyone in the vehicle, and making sure as the passenger in another vehicle that the driver does the same. Together, we can make the roads a safer place.