Drive Safe Someone Loves You

Just previously, when I was 17 when I lost two of my dearest friends in a motor vehicle accident. Since then, my life has changed, and my perspective on safe driving has altered. Not only affecting me, the effects of this accident shocked individuals nationwide. Coming from a teen, it is especially important to make sure that one’s driving ability is the best it can be. Another important factor is to trust the person who is behind the wheel when riding as a passenger.

Every teen in the United States must pass a driving education course before a license can be attained. This law is important to individuals behind the wheel and everyone else on the roads. In driver’s education, all the driving regulations are taught. This is important in decreasing deaths because an educated driver is much more reliable than someone uneducated. For example, if two drivers are put behind the wheel, one that has passed a driving education course, and one who hasn’t, who is more likely to create a death scene? Most definitely the uneducated driver, this person could lack knowledge of street signs, road markings, or a flashing red light. Individuals must be educated on driving to reduce the number of deaths.

Many factors can result in a fatal accident on the road. Common causes are distracted driving, speed limit, and driving under the influence. Many steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths due to these causes. Number one, phones, are the highest cause of distracted driving. Individuals communicate on phones much more often when driving than they should. A solution for this is, on phones, there should be a mode that allows nobody to access unless it is an emergency call, anything else can wait. Not really can this realization be taught, but life is more important than responding to any Snapchat or text. Step number two, driving the speed limit. Sometimes, it is frustrating having to go the speed limit or get stuck behind a slow driver, but once again, is being a few minutes late to a destination life-changing? This solution once again is not specifically able to be taught, but to be realized. Finally step three, driving under the influence. Many people party and many people think they can drive home after partying, but this is truly wrong. Driving anywhere under the influence of any substance puts all individuals on the road in danger. The solution to this problem is simply don’t do it. Calling a cab is always worth the idea of getting an OWI or being involved in a fatal crash.

Never have I been in a car accident but as mentioned earlier I lost two loved ones in a car accident. The individual driving the car decided that taking three lives would be better than a speeding ticket. This experience has changed my life forever, losing someone is never easy especially as unexpected as it was. My father was also heavily impacted in a motor vehicle accident. One late night he decided to drive home from his job in Manchester, England. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep behind the wheel, then crashed into a brick wall. Luckily, nobody else was injured, and my dad recovered very well. From just two personal experiences, I have realized that absolutely nothing is worth risking my life over.

As an individual in high school, I would admit that I am one who periodically checks my phone when driving. To help myself become a safer driver an easy solution is to just tuck my phone away when behind the wheel. I also advise the same for others, because if one is focused on the phone, the focus is not on the road. I chose to keep my friends safe by always offering them rides and making sure that they are always in stable driving conditions. A few simple steps I can take to improve others’ being safer on the roads is to make billboards showing drivers how risky it is to not have a focus on the road. These billboards would specifically say “Drive Safe Someone Loves You”, as a reminder that not only is everyone loved but to drive safe as well. I believe this would have an impact because some individuals believe “Oh something like that won’t happen to me” but it does, and it will. Having the ability to drive is not a joke, but a privilege. Coming from an individual who has truly been affected by both fatal and nonfatal crashes, I cannot express to others how nothing is worth risking your life for.