Proceed with Caution For Yourself and Others

In the state of Maryland, you must be 15 years and 9 months old to obtain a learner’s permit. Me along with all my other friends were excited for this day, as it was the first big step in getting your full driver’s license. We would always talk about all the things we could do once we got our license. We talked about going to amusement parks, the movies, restaurants, going out of state, and much more. All of us were exuberant about all the things we could do.

The next step in getting your license is to attend a 2-week driving instructional class, along with 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a driving instructor. No one wanted to take this class because we thought we already knew how to drive. Most of my friends did not care about the rules, the laws, nor did they care about anyone’s safety. The first day I got behind the wheel, my father told me to be careful not only for yourself, but for others because no matter how cautious you may drive, you cannot control the vehicle that is in front of you, that is behind you, nor to the left of you, or to the right of you. I was stuck in the middle of what my friends were saying and what my father was trying to teach me. Of course, I cared about the safety and well being of everyone driving around me. At the same time, I was arrogant to what my father said because I thought I already knew everything I needed to know.

The first day of driving instruction came and we discussed safety behind the wheel and sure enough, our instructor quoted, word for word, what my father had been reiterating to me for months now. At this point I started to take safety more seriously now. The education my instructor gave me was invaluable because I felt like I needed to hear it coming from a different mouth other than my parents. On the other hand, my friend who decided to take the class with me, gave the concept little to no attention which is unfortunate.

Fast forward 4 years post driving school, I was out celebrating my father’s birthday with the rest of my family and get the news that one of my old friends had passed away due to a car accident. I will not go too much into detail, however the accident was caused due to poor judgement by the driver who caused the accident. I am not sure if the driver lacked the proper education or they did have the education and decided not to use it, but had they exercised what should have been taught, my friend would still be here today. People need to learn to not think of only themselves on the road. What you do, as a driver, drastically effects what happens to the drivers surrounding you. A split second of misjudgment can cause a fatal mistake that is irreparable. This goes back to the old saying treat others how you would want to be treated. Treat your fellow drivers how you would like to be treated. Stop the reckless driving, stop the unnecessary speeding, and exercise safe driving.

When you are in the car with someone driving reckless or made a mistake that did not have a consequence at that time but might prove to be a fatal one later, speak up. Do not keep quiet. We lose too many loved ones from motor vehicle accidents every day. Especially us young people. It hurts watching your friend’s entire future get snatched away from them by a reckless driver. Its heartless and disgusting.

There was a time I was riding passenger while my cousin was driving. There was a driver in front of us who was going well below the speed limit. This driver had been in front of us for about 4-5 minutes now and my cousin was tired of it. My cousin waited until he thought there was no oncoming traffic on the other side of the double yellow lines and crossed it to try and overtake the slow vehicle in front of us. When he crossed it, we were at a sharp bend so you could not tell how close the next vehicle is. It turns out that as soon as my cousin crossed the double yellow lines (which is illegal and extremely dangerous) another car appeared. To summarize, my cousin was going 50 mph towards a vehicle that was going 50+ mph toward us. He tried to go back into the original lane but the car that was going slow was right beside him, so he had to slam on the brakes and then get back to the original lane. Although it did not result in an accident it could have ended much worse. I confronted him and told him that although slower drivers may be frustrating you must have patience when driving.

Thirty-two people die every single day do to drunk driving. 30,000 crashes a year happen because of distracted driving, whether its texting, interacting with other people in the car, or looking at something stuck on your windshield. It is also reported that 17% of fatal accidents are result of speeding. People need to be more aware. Of course, we can create more laws and rules. We can put up more cameras and increase fines, but at the end of the day, the ones behind the wheel are the ones who can dictate whether we arrive at our destination or not. We just must encourage not only our loved ones, but everyone to drive safe and hope that they listen and practice safe driving.