Your Friends and Family love you, Please Come back to them

Name: Cassandra Benoit

2020 Drivers Education Essay Contest

Your Friends and Family love you, Please Come Back to them

I remember the day when my dad told me that he was going to teach me how to drive. I was so excited! I woke up early and could not even eat. Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about driving a car. I grew up in Haiti where the majority of people who drive cars are men. As a little girl, I was very excited to learn how to drive a car. As I started learning to drive, I wanted all my neighborhood to see me driving. I could not wait tell all my classmates.

However, before my dad took me out to start learning, he taught me some lessons that I will never forget. Before I got behind the wheel, my dad taught me the following lessons:

1. Consider everybody outside the car as little kids. He said that little kids always need someone to watch out for them, so as the driver you are the parent of everybody in the street. You have to make sure you look out for them and keep them safe.

2. Always get your car checked, so you know it is safe to drive.

3. Driving is not a game; it is not something you do to have fun, so always wear your seatbelt.

4. Adjust your mirrors and find the music you want to play before you start driving.

5. Cassie when you drive, do it to get from point A to point B. Do not do it to show off. Do it because you need to.  

6. Never drive if you are not feeling well enough to drive. If you are too tired to drive, DO NOT DO IT.

7. Always wear comfortable shoes.

8. Do not ever listen to your music so loud that you cannot hear what is going on around you.

9. Always leave early, so you do not have to rush to where you are going.

10. Cellphone and driving should never be in the same sentence. It is either you are using your cellphone or you are driving.

11. Love yourself and love others because if you love yourself you will not want to hurt it, and if you love others, you will do your best to keep them safe.

12. When you are old enough to drink, DO NOT EVER drink and drive.

13. I love you, and so are your friends and siblings. Please always come back home to us.

My dad did not simply teach me how to drive; he educated me on the importance of driving. He taught me how to be safe; he taught me to love myself and others because when we love, we care. Having a driving education should not only be about teaching people how to go from point A to point B, it should also be about teaching people about the power they have behind the wheel. It is about teaching people how to love, care, and protect others while protecting themselves. Telling a young driver to not text and drive may sound like a song lyric with no meaning. However, if we teach them about the power they have behind the wheels, it may be easier for them listen. To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, we need to first teach every young drivers how to love and care for others. We need to teach them how precious their lives and the lives of others are.

My brother once had a girlfriend that lived out of town that he could not wait to see after work on Friday evening. He got off work very tired, and could not wait for another day to see her. My little sister told him to say until the next day because he needed to rest. Learning from my dad, we know not to drive when we are too tired. Unfortunately, my brother did not listen. That same evening, he got into an accident. He was so tired, that he fell asleep while driving. He crushed into a house and broke part of the house and his car was so damaged that it could barely get it fixed. With the grace of God he did not die. The car and the house were much damaged, but my brother made it out alive. Could this have been prevented? Yes, and only if he had been responsible. He could have gotten killed and killed someone else simply because he was being stubborn. My dad taught me the above lessons that are worth more than gold to me and those are the advice/lessons I use every day to be a safe driver. They have been working so well for me. I dare every driver to try them because only when we do, will we be able to reduce the number of death related to driving each year.