HIGHWAY 1D

YOUTH FORWARD SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

ESSAY

HIGHWAY 1D

By Caroline Peralta

I think that the importance of driving in our world is so big; so many memorable summer family road trips full of laughter and fun; it’s how our four legged friends get their little treat of adventure; is how we get our packages from online shopping; and I can go on and on and on with the list and this essay would be never ending, but don’t worry I’ll make it short.

Sadly the numbers of deaths related to driving are pretty high, but it doesn’t matter if the numbers are low or high. The fact of the matter is that there are people whose death was related to driving and if we think about it many of the recommendations that you hear about driving are pretty good. For an instance having you seat belt on, having your air bags ready, having insurance; but in my opinion the best one is knowing your limits and knowing how to react quickly, for example if you are on a road trip and you are the driver, knowing when to take a break, in the end it’s not all about acting strong it’s about being assertive with yourself; because if you think about it, you can have the insurance with the most coverage but that doesn’t mean the insurance is going to be behind the wheel and save you, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t follow the rules, my point is that you should follow safe driving recommendations. I think that some steps that should be taken into consideration when driving in order to prevent more numbers of deaths:

• When circumstances arise that makes alternate drivers advisable be sure the alternate is rested and not impaired.

• Try to drive on daylight instead of driving at night

• Always drive defensively

• Be aware of the other drivers around you.

• Continuously strive to improve your driving skills.

Through my life I have definitely been witness of many car accidents in my city many of them being:

• Drivers who don’t use their rear view mirrors.

• Narrow highways

• Potholes: drivers too concentrated on avoiding so many of them at the same time that they end up crashing with cars from the other lane. P.S:my hometown has an abundance of potholes and they always seem to be right where I want to drive.

Fortunately as you can see I haven’t witnessed monumental death causing car accidents but it’s definitely something that could be prevented, because it’s a situation that can be avoided unlike a natural disaster. So what can I do to be a safe driver?

• Avoid having distractions in your car, like pets jumping around the seats or really loud music.

• Putting everybody’s safety first rather than being on time, instead try getting out of your home on time.

• Make sure that you are all buckled up

• Have your air bags checked frequently..

• Take your driver’s test before you start driving without supervision.

On a personal note I would like to share a phrase that is very common where I live, which is “always drive like it’s all the cars against you, always keep an eye on what others are doing and be aware of everything around you”. I wanted to share this because in the end this is a way to prevent being the victim on a car accident

In conclusion you should always try to follow the recommendations from the authorities and always be defensive when you are driving, because it’s not only your safety, it’s everybody’s safety.