In The Driver’s Seat

To receive your driver’s license is a great milestone. Many achieve this through their local high school drivers education program. I remember being excited at the thought of beginning to learn to drive. Driving meant a new independence for myself. All my friends began to get their permits and soon it would be my turn. Having my license could also help my parents with freeing up their time, especially with my younger brothers and sister. I would be able to help take them to practices and school. After coming across this scholarship, and reading through the website statistics. I was very surprised to learn how high the average American death toll is from car casualties. I believe through awareness and education the number of deaths related to driving can be reduced. The drivers education program creates an environment suitable for learning. Also, with my generation and the advancement of technology, the DMV website is perfect to gain access to raise awareness.

I believe the greatest distraction in driving is our phones. Texting and being on your phone while driving impaired one of the major senses needed to drive safely. Even if you are sending a voice text, your mind is not properly processing what you are doing. Your mind is not on task. I also believe I could write a whole essay on drunk driving, but I do know that driving intoxicated is a major contributor to those statistics. So overall, no texting, or drinking while driving. Placing all attention on your task of driving.

I’m sure just about anyone can attest to seeing a family member text while driving. I know I can. I’ve had to remind my cousins not to do so, or even ask my friend if I could send a text for them. I have an uncle whom I met when I was 10 for the first time because he was in prison for 15 years for drinking and driving and hurting someone. Once my dad was in a car accident with my older sister. They were rear ended by another driver in a turning lane on a busy street after a fourth of July parade. The driver who hit my dad’s car was growing impatient and accidently let off his brakes. At eighteen months old my grandma, aunt and sister made front page news by rolling a vehicle 3 times. My underage aunt was driving at the time without her license and overcorrected, which caused the accident on a country road. Her inexperience led to the crash and could have ended badly. Thankfully, they all made it out safely unhurt.

I think personally the steps I can take to be a safer driver is to not text and drive. Using a do not disturb feature on my phone while driving helps as well. Also our insurance has an app that is used on our phone to monitor our driving. A quarterly report comes out to break down our speed and driving habits. I also do not listen to music too loud to be a better defensive driver. I have seen some people driving with their airpods in their ears. If I was ever in a car with a driver that was doing that I would definitely have to call them out. Driving the speed limit and allowing myself sufficient time helps not to speed. I try to be 10-15 minutes early otherwise I feel a little late. I also try to not drive in bad weather unless necessary. Being from the Texas Panhandle, the weather is sporadic and I try to plan my next day based on that. On a bad weather day I definitely give myself extra time to reach my destination. Working out in the early morning can also make a difference if I’ve stayed awake late working on homework. I make sure that before I get behind the wheel I eat something and hydrate to fully wake me up. Being aware of my surroundings is also an important step everyone has to take. Although I may be a good driver, the person driving the car headed straight toward you may not. I learned this driving with my mom in a small town. I was exiting the highway and stayed in the left lane. I saw a car coming straight toward me. I failed to see the two way sign signifying that the access road would have oncoming traffic. I learned that day the importance of the road signs that say for sure. Making sure to always ask questions if I didn’t know something or was unfamiliar and needed a bit more explanation.