In the Driver’s Seat

As stated on the form, there are over 30,000 U.S. highway fatalities from 2005 to 2012, a fact most drivers aren’t aware of at all, especially newer drivers like myself. Since I started driving about a year and a half ago, I learned that while it was nice to be able to do something new and more grown-up, I was wholly unprepared for all the dangers of road travel, especially regarding the actions of other drivers. When I drove to school for the first time at the start of my junior year, I watched my classmates tear around the parking lot like maniacs, honking at each other for fun and racing each other around the parking lot and up and down the street. In fact, when we were on our way to homecoming, my boyfriend and his friend decided it would be a good idea to race each other to the school, something I found to be extremely dangerous and rather stupid. I’ve learned to respect the road and the people on it, but I haven’t always been this way.

I get nervous now whenever I see my friends or any of my classmates driving so fast around parking lots or driving recklessly down side roads because I had to learn my lesson the hard way and I don’t want any kids to go through the same thing. See, from the time I got my license to now, I’ve been in three accidents and while only two were explicitly my fault, both were enough to jar me into shaping up. My first accident happened when I was trying to merge onto the highway; I was right next to a guardrail and when another person wouldn’t let me on, I did the only thing I knew: sped up. Which turned out to be the worst thing I could do, as since I was so worried about the other driver, I didn’t notice how close I got to the guardrail and I scraped the entire right side of my car against it, losing my hubcap in the process. I was terrified after that experience and upset about losing the use of my car while it was in the shop, but the next one scared me even more.

That same year, it was wintertime, and I was on my way to school in the morning. Despite my dad’s warnings that since the temperature had dropped and there may be some icy spots on the road, I didn’t listen, and I paid the price for it. At the final right turn into the parking lot at school, I was going too fast and tried to hit my brakes hard, which caused my car to lock up when I hit a patch of black ice near the turn. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt, but my car slid up onto the sidewalk and hit one of the school signs, effectively destroying the front right side of my car. It was so bad, my dad had to call a tow truck to come get my car and by the end of the day, everyone knew I was the one who hit the school sign and had to have a tow truck pull my car out of the parking lot. The whole experience was extremely embarrassing, but it taught me to respect the dangers of an icy road and opened my eyes to how reckless I was being, thus pushing me to improve so the experience wouldn’t happen again.

While no one got hurt in the accidents I’ve been in, I know many others who’ve been involved in accidents like mine haven’t been so lucky, and very few people are aware of the devastating facts. Our drivers’ ed classes are meant to teach us about the rules of the road and the horrible consequences of what may happen if we don’t respect them, most of all, the elements. However, much like me, I’m not sure many newer drivers will come to fully respect these rules until they’ve fallen victim to the consequences, an ordeal they shouldn’t have to face. So, to further reduce the number of deaths brought about by these accidents, newer drivers could possibly be shown articles and descriptions based on fatal accidents during drivers ed to be shown what could happen if they don’t abide by the rules and recommendations.

On the other side, since I’ve learned my lesson, I’ve gone to greater lengths to keep myself, my vehicle, and other drivers safe through my own driving so, for as much as I could control, I wouldn’t put myself or others in harm’s way. However, if there’s one thing, I know about young drivers like me, it’s that we’re so excited to drive and be on the road by ourselves, that we drive as fast as possible without any regard for anyone else’s safety, because we believe ourselves to be invincible. And I know that I was horrified when I learned the horrible truth, and I don’t want other drivers to learn their lesson the hard way like I did. So, I share the stories of my accidents with my friends and fellow classmates to warn them about the dangers of the road and the price of recklessness in hopes that I could possibly deter them from making the same mistake. So, even if my lessons won’t affect or change their behavior, I hope to at least try to make the roads and my fellow drivers safer so less accidents will come about and more precious human lives can be saved.