The Importance of Safe Driving

Driving
is a privilege that some have come to see as a right that they are
automatically entitled to. This view of driving has caused some
people to not be able to recognize the immense responsibility that
comes along with being on the road. Drivers ed is important
because mistakes made behind the wheel can impact the life of the
person driving or others on the road. Each person before being issued
a license must first be educated on all the risks that come along
with driving. One of the most memorable driving education experiences
I had was after I received my first speeding ticket. However, I feel
as though that style of teaching people about driving should be
widely used. One part of the program included a slideshow
presentation of horrific accidents, videos on people who have been
permanently changed because of an accident, and speeches from law
enforcements about some of the worst crashes they have seen. Although
powerful, the second part of the program really put everything into
perspective. With one station we put on googles that represent your
eyesight when drunk and had to walk a straight line. Another station
we sat in a structure that represented a car with safety gear on but
was remote controlled and when the remote was pressed we crashed into
a rail. Each of us were asked to guess the speed of the crash, which
was only about five miles per hour, but I thought we were going much
faster. Each station demonstrated how speeding or being impaired
while driving can lead to a devastating outcome.

About
three years ago I was the victim of what can happen when someone is
not driving responsibly. My mom had helped me get my first Honda
Accord in the year of 2017 and I felt a new sense of adulthood
because I was helping pay for it. One day leaving from campus a man
was texting while driving, ran a red light, hit a car, before
spinning and crashing into the side of my car. The whole driver side
of my car was completely totaled but I managed to make it away
unharmed. To this day it was one of the scariest moments of my life
because I felt helpless when I saw him coming towards me and all I
remember doing in that moment was screaming. There are many people
who are not as lucky to escape from accidents and each person must be
taught how to be responsible on the road because no one deserves the
right to take the life of another because of negligence.