Driving. It’s a privilege, not a right.

There are many stages of life, and at each stage, a milestone is achieved. As infants, the ability to hold our heads up and say our first word are important events. Then as infants grow to become toddlers, many parents enter a race to see how fast they can potty train their children. Then kids lose teeth, have their own opinions, quit believing in Santa Claus, become more independent, and rely on their parents less. Finally, a well-awaited milestone that is crucial to the plot of every coming of age movie– driving. The process of driver’s ed, getting your permit, and finally being rewarded with your license is a special feeling. It’s another step towards adulthood and coming into your own as a functioning member of society. It encouraged me because though life gets increasingly difficult there are rewards along the way. Despite all the positives of driving it should not be taken lightly, because it is still a life or death matter. Millions of people die from car-related accidents every year; many of which could be avoided if driver education was enforced. Driver education provides a set of rules and tips to ensure that the driver, passengers, and everyone else on the road are safe.

After teenagers take driver’s education, the information they learn remains fresh for a long time. Teenagers still make mistakes on the road, but it’s not because they aren’t aware of the rules, but because they are still new drivers and occasionally slip up. However, adults sometimes drive for up to 70-plus years, and although they gain all that experience, the rules of the road can seem foreign because it’s been a while since they’ve read up on them. In an age of technology, there are more possible distractions while driving than there have ever been. It’s easy to answer a text or watch a movie while driving because the tools are accessible. Especially with all the features in the car industry, most cars are practically able to drive themselves which creates less observant and careless drivers.

To prevent accidents and fatalities it should be mandatory that after a certain amount of years people take a driver’s education course just to be reminded of the rules of the road. Another suggestion is to continue to enforce wearing seatbelts and following speed limits for everyone’s safety. Lastly, people need to hold each other accountable to avoid drug or alcohol-related accidents. If people see their loved ones engaging in risky behaviors and then deciding to get behind the wheel, they should drive or call a ride. Because people’s lives are worth more than one night out, and it shouldn’t define their character when they aren’t in the correct head space. All drivers should not only drive for themselves but for everyone around them because when drivers only prioritize themselves, it makes for dangerous situations. I have been in multiple accidents as a passenger, and they were all traumatic because most of them happened before I was even nine years old. Each time an accident occurred, it was the other driver’s fault, which made me grateful that I have never sustained any serious injuries from these accidents. It also made me think about how we don’t know people’s lives and who could be in the car when accidents happen. Careless driving could ruin a family’s life by bombarding them with medical bills or destroy a young athlete’s chance of making it to the pros. Everyone makes mistakes, but when they could’ve prevented it makes it ten times worse.

Even though I received my license a while ago, stories like that make me want to be the best driver I can be because no one deserves to have their lives drastically changed when they never asked for it. There are many consequences of getting into an accident, and one of those could be having my license revoked. I know that myself and millions of other teenagers worked extremely hard to earn their license because the process is tedious and lengthy, and throwing that all away to send a text is just not worth it. As a young adult, I will do everything I can to not put myself or anybody in harm’s way. I will continue to limit distractions and take precautions while driving. I won’t allow another driver to make me upset because I’ll be the one who will suffer the consequences. I am also taking the initiative to encourage my friends to be better drivers because our futures are too bright for anything to happen to one of us. Life is a precious gift that many of us take for granted, and to cut it short by making immature decisions is not right. When I’m behind the wheel, I’ll try to steer clear of reckless drivers and be friendly on the road because everything isn’t about me because driving is a privilege, not a right.