Drivers Ed Responsibility

Holding the wheel of a vehicle comes with greater responsibility than handling a gun. I was brought up to understand the gravity of what can happen on any road. Sadly, I have personally seen time and time again the effects of drunk driving to slight inattentiveness on the road. My grandfather worked as a Texas State Trooper, one night him and his partner were assessing an eighteen-wheeler when a drunk driver hit his partner flying down the highway. November of 2017, I was 14, when a girl from my neighboring school was killed by a drunk driver. This past year a boy at my highschool was driving to band practice, turning left on a flashing yellow light he did not see the man on the motorcycle , resulting in the man’s death and a defining moment in his life that he could never take back. I say this to make the point that driving accidents have surfaced around my life, and I have learned alot from my grandfather and we have ideas. Driver safety education class needs to become an annual responsibility to complete. Government mandated, these classes could be offered online, at a local DMV or courthouse. It is easy to become comfortable driving, making this class a necessary reminder that no one is bulletproof on the road. There are fatal accidents that will not be stopped by an annual drivers course; but, a well educated society of people who understand the danger of the road can stop the majority. When I am behind the wheel and feel myself lose focus I think of what I’ve seen firsthand, read on facebook, heard from grandfather. I think of my life and the lives of others around me. Fatal accident rates will not drop unless active leadership is taken and imposed on drivers. Drivers ed classes should not solely be a reprimand to those who have broken the law. Rather, a civic responsibility to earn the right to handle a weapon deadlier than a gun.