Think of Yourself

Watch as your mother places lilies on a marble grave that dons your name, emphasizing your years on earth didn’t reach 18. Watch as your father holds her steady while he can barely remain upright himself. Watch your sister curl into herself on your bed, wishing she could get into one last argument with you. Watch your friends sit around in silence, no longer able to joke around when you’re not there to laugh with them.

Watch as the cars collide, with pieces of metal and shattered glass intermingled with

your very last screams.

Watch as everything you’ve ever done, everything you’ve ever wanted to do, gone, in the blink of an eye.

That’s what can happen when you don’t take driving seriously.

Driver’s education might seem like an easy course taken to bolster your GPA, but it’s really what can determine whether or not you’ll survive each and every day you get into a car. There is a reason it’s required that students take a driver’s education course before they get their license. Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal accident, and 16 percent more likely to have an accident, studies show. Is it worth spending a few hours a year learning about how to be safe on the road so you don’t lose your life when you get behind the wheel?

I think so, and you should too.

To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, it starts with you. You must be willing to take every precaution necessary when you’re on the road, to know even before you get your license how you are going to handle each and every situation that comes your way. Of course, you can’t know for certain what will happen, but being prepared can be the difference between ending your life in a mangled car or making it home to your family.

You don’t need to show off on the road. Driving is not a competition, because with that mindset, the only prize will be you or someone you love in the ground. Spend more time than you think practicing. It might seem tedious, but you want to know that even before you get onto the road, you know how to drive, and drive well. Make up scenarios in your head, even the most outlandish ones. Be ready. Be smart. Be prepared.

Just as those on the road are responsible for your safety, you are responsible for theirs. One wrong decision can not only lead to your demise, but also to the demise of those around you. When you’re on the road, you look out for one another. Flash your headlights if you see a deer to warn drivers. Let others go before you. Drive slowly in the rain or snow.

Don’t let your friends make mistakes. If they’re changing the music while driving, offer to change it for them. Ensure everybody has their seatbelts on. Don’t worry about being a back-seat driver if it becomes a matter of safety. The most important thing is that everybody makes it home safe.

Because not everybody always does.

My friends have been into several accidents, and while fortunately none of them have ended up being too serious, there is a different type of fear that comes with the text “I’ve been in an accident.” It makes me wonder what led up to the collision. Were they being irresponsible? Were they texting and driving? Were they being rowdy and not paying attention to the road? Would they not have gotten into an accident had they paid more attention in driver’s ed?

Could that have been me?

We all think it won’t happen to us until it does. The only way to ensure that we stay safe on the road is to keep our eyes peeled, put safety first, and remember what we’ve been taught. Driver’s education is not given to bore students, or to provide them an easy A. It’s to save lives.

I want to be sure that when I get into a car, I’m going to make it back to see my family. I don’t want to worry that others on the road have not listened to their driver’s education teacher, and are now driving drunk or taking pictures. Everything can wait until you’re out of the car.

Think of the little girl in the backseat of the minivan that passed you. Think of the elderly couple going out for a drive in their Sedan. Think of the student just accepted into Harvard in the Nissan.

Think of your best friend. Think of your brother. Think of yourself.

Drive safely.