“Getting your License”

Getting your license; I think we can all agree is scary as well as exciting. Many people are over the moon about being able to drive themselves wherever they need to go and finding joy in their new sense of freedom. However, to many parents this can be one of the scariest times in their life. Worry, I think is something that everyone does as a human, however, having a teenager that just started to drive can unleash a new sense of worry. Many teens complain about their parents being so concerned about them driving because they “know what they are doing.” Do they truly understand why they are so worried?

Picture that you just passed your learners test and you didn’t study or read the book. How do you think this can affect your driving in the future? Yes, you may be fine now while your parents are riding in the car with you, but what will happen once you are all on your own? Driver education is one of the most important factors in keeping everyone on the road safe. By being an educated driver you are not only keeping yourself safe, but others that are on the road as well. One part of driver education is being able to know and understand the different road signs around you. Everytime you get behind the wheel you will see some variation of a road sign. Whether that be a stop sign or a construction sign, it is very important to understand the meaning of the sign. The same goes for knowing the rules of right of way and knowing how to react in situations. By being an educated driver, people will be able to remain safer on the road, therefore, reducing the number of deaths.

Now you may be questioning, how can we reduce the amount of deaths related to driving? Reducing the amount of driving related deaths has a quite simple, however complex answer. One step that can be taken to reduce these deaths would be taking away driver distractions. Many drivers, especially new teenage drivers, are distracted while driving whether by friends in their car or by their phone. Driving and using your phone can be extremely dangerous not only to you, but to those in your car and around you. Before getting behind the wheel everyone should clear their mind of any distractions and if the instance comes up that they need to use their phone, they should pull over and park before using their phone. Another step that can be taken is making sure that teens have to use their seatbelts. I know many people my age that think they are “too cool” to wear a seatbelt. This is very dangerous and also not good for anyone that rides with them. For instance, people who always wear their seatbelt could be peer pressured into not wearing a seatbelt or beginning to think that they are also “too cool” to wear one anymore. Making seatbelts a requirement before a car starts is a good place to start for everyone to have to wear their seatbelt. Another step that can be taken is making sure people are aware of the dangers of drunk driving. Drunk driving is sometimes overlooked by people. They think that they are perfectly capable of driving, however, they are putting their lives and everyone around them at risk. Seeing the effects of drunk driving could open the eyes of many teenagers.

Personally, I am very fortunate to have never been in a car accident. I have however seen friends and members of my community driving irresponsibly. I have been around several friends who think that wearing a seatbelt isn’t important. They think that they don’t need them, however, even if you don’t drive recklessly, you never know who is driving around you. Recently in my community there was a man driving a tractor to cut corn, and on his way to the corn field a lady was going around a curve too fast and knocked him off of the tractor and he was pulled under the corn chopper. I remember being at a football game when someone got the news and they said “there is so much blood he was unrecognizable”. Just hearing about this situation and coming from a family of farmers has made me want to spread awareness about the need for safe driving in America.

Going through life I can strive to be a good role model with my driving. I can spread awareness to those around me by telling others about the reasons for driving responsibly and sharing my experiences. If I ever see anyone not wearing a seatbelt or being on their phone while driving, I can explain to them the dangers of driving and how it’s not just them that could end up severely injured, but it could be someone’s family. I plan on always being aware of my surroundings and being distraction free while driving. This enables me to show others how to be a good defensive driver and spread awareness on the dangers on reckless driving.