In The Driver’s Seat

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths related to driving accidents would be to teach teenagers and young adults the significance of driving safely on the road. That speeding to try and reach a destination faster until you need to press on the brakes for an obstacle that appeared, like a person on the road, and you won’t have enough time to stop. Unless you want to damage your brake pads and drain brake fluid faster. The type of steps that would need to be taken is teaching teenagers, even kids at a young age that taking more time to get to a destination is okay because your life is more important. Speeding at night is more dangerous than during the day because animals, such as deer, can appear at any moment and could freeze on the road. Driving when everyone wears a seatbelt is most important, as it stops passengers from flying out of the car and into the road if there was a car accident. Reckless driving could also take a life, trying to scare other people on the road and tailgating is dangerous. If the driver is reckless enough, both people are injured, or worse, one or both drivers would be dead. Experiencing reckless driving first was terrifying, as when I was driving I had a passenger who had anxiety about being in a vehicle. I was below the speed limit to soothe their nerves when someone from my school thought that it would be funny to drive into my lane. He caused an almost head-on collision, along with his trailer nearly knocking into my headlamp. I had to pull over to try and make sure my passenger didn’t have a panic attack in my car. I was also the passenger in a speeding car, the feeling of my body sinking into the seat from going almost twenty miles over the speed limit and having it almost fly onto the console if I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Unfortunately, a family member did die from driving drunk, my Aunt Shannon went to drive to her sister’s house after drinking at the bar to see if anyone was still at the fish fry that was hosted. She never did make it, as her car and her body were found in front of a tree after she swerved off the road at one in the morning. It wasn’t until six in the morning when the sheriff found her, almost five minutes from Stephanie´s house. Shannon finally had her life together until she died, she bought a brand new house and got a job as an art teacher. Shannon also got married at the time it all happened, I was one of the flower girls for her wedding. Now I can never see her again, never see any new artworks she created, or get to hear how good her job was. I can never hear how she inspired others all because she drove irresponsibly that night and it cost her her life. Shannon´s death still haunts some of my family members today, my grandpa can’t even talk about her and refuses to do so. I looked up to Shannon, she inspired me to paint even though I never touched a brush my entire life, only staying with pencils and markers. There is an ever-lasting hole in our family now where Shannon used to be, every time she is mentioned the atmosphere is always dense, as we know that there will no longer be Thanksgiving or Christmas get-togethers with her anymore. I pledged to myself to never drink or do drugs before or during driving, as even a sip of alcohol would be my last. I always wait until everyone in my car has their seatbelt on, I would rather wait an hour before I drive with anyone without their seatbelt on. I always follow the speed limits, and I slow down at night knowing some animals run out into the road unexpectedly. I never will tailgate, knowing one wrong move would leave an injury that would always be prevented. I always make the promise before getting into a car that I would not be a reckless driver, that I would always be responsible on the road, and not to try and scare other drivers. Knowing that I could die and take away a life if I´m not careful would always haunt me. I pledge to myself everyday to drive safely until I can no longer drive anymore.