The Importance of Safe Driving

Morgan Masterson

The Importance of Safe Driving

I practiced constantly. My mom would let me drive whenever we needed to run errands. I made sure to follow all of the rules of the road and ensure that I am constantly following the speed limit. My mom would complain about how cautious I was. Then, the big day arrived, the day of my driving test. I was extremely nervous, but I knew my car inside and out because it was my sister’s old car and she took me everywhere in it. I sat up straight, made sure my mirrors were set accordingly, and proceeded forward. The test went by so quickly and I became overjoyed when she handed me the papers and said that I had passed. After that, I took every opportunity to take my car out. If we were running low on milk, I’d be immediately up with keys already in hand and head to my car. Even if I just felt like playing with my soccer ball, I would drive myself to the park. As I became more comfortable driving, the rules seemed to become less important to me. Replying to my boyfriend’s text seemed more important than making sure the light ahead of me is still green as I proceed forward.

I remember the day so vividly. I had done a lot of driving that morning and had arrived home to do a quick wardrobe change so I could go to the mall with my friend. I got in my car and drove out of my driveway. I was still in my neighborhood when I got a text from my best friend. I looked down and went to text her that I was on my way and that I couldn’t wait to see her. Unfortunately, I was never able to send the text because I ran straight into a tree. The bump of the car going over the curb startled me and forced me to look up but for some reason, the synapses in my brain didn’t tell me to stop the car, and suddenly my head slammed into the steering wheel and everything went black for a second. I came to and first heard the beeping that the car made to alert me that the airbags went off. Then I became overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. I got out of the car, shaking uncontrollably. Neighbors came outside of their houses to confirm that I was okay. I turned around to witness what I did and saw the front of my car completely destroyed, with the bumper falling off and stuck to the knocked over tree.

The first thoughts that entered my mind were all of the memories that I made with my sister and friend’s in that car. The car where we would drive up to the top of Day Creek, singing songs as loud as we could. Where my sister would take me to school and park in the same corner spot even though she knew that she always hit the curb when coming out of it. Where my sister would drive us to In n Out when she surprised me by coming home from New York early. I would never be able to relive those memories again. I would never be able to walk through a full parking lot and find the car just by the goofy sticker we placed on the back of it all those years ago. My sister would have to come home and see the driveway empty, with only oil spots on the sidewalk where the car used to reside. I fell to my knees and began to sob uncontrollably as my cousin and aunt came to my side and embraced me in their arms.

The commercials about driving safely come onto the television all of the time, warning people about the dangers of texting while driving and how it is as dangerous as drinking while driving. However, we always think to ourselves, “well that could never happen to me, I am really good at texting while driving,” or “texting only takes me a few seconds, I can do it without crashing.” However, that’s how fast the accident happened. It only took a couple seconds. It really makes you understand that one thing that every driving instructor is trained to teach, “Driving is a privilege, not a right”, because a car is not simply a method of transportation, it is a weapon that can easily take away lives and should therefore be taken seriously. In order to inform others about the importance of safe driving, I believe that there should be an assembly held at high schools, especially since young drivers are more susceptible to getting into an accident.