No Road Will Lead Back Home

Ever since I was really little, I wanted to drive but I’m not really sure why I really wanted to. I would see my mom behind the wheel and wish every day that I was old enough to drive. I liked us cruising on the highway and being able to go wherever we wanted to go. My wish to drive only got more strong as I got older, I was itching to drive. I started driving when I was 14, it was only in parking lots and I wasn’t allowed to go faster than 20 mph. Nonetheless, I was happy with this for a while. I took driver’s education at 15, and I charged through the course because I so badly wanted my license. I think definitely at this point in my life I wanted freedom. Freedom to go wherever I wanted and todrive with whoever I wanted. I got my license a lot faster than any of my other friends, and I do not regret a single thing, I’m grateful to myself for the pace I took with the entire process. I’m 17 now, and having my license is actually a privilege, I realized. Many people don’t have a car, and have never been behind the wheel. So many Americans have two cars and have parents or guardians that have time to spare to take them to drive and other such things. In the United States, there are roads everywhere. I’m from the Midwest, and even outside of the Midwest sometimes there is a bubble created that cars are accessible to everyone since in many places they are easily bought and used. Driving is a privilege, it is so often forgotten that it is a privilege, and it should be treated as such. This means driving carefully. The rules of the road don’t really vary from state to state, and most people do not often break these rules. The biggest problem I have seen from my experience is when people drive recklessly. By this I mean people look at their phone when they drive, drive with one hand on a fast road, and turn their head to every direction when driving. It only takes less than a second to be involved in a crash that could take a life. I am tired of people acting like nothing bad could happen if they choose to do whatever they wish while driving. Even someone who has been driving for many years needs to focus on the road and make that their priority. I am guilty of this as well, it is easy to feel very comfortable behind the wheel since many people drive so often. However, this ease can lead to carelessness so it is crucial to realize that when driving on the road, not only is the car traveling often very fast but also surrounded by other fast-moving cars. I want to add also, it is not only a problem of age. Age and reckless driving often have a correlation, but they are not the same thing. A young person is not always a reckless driver, and with age does not necessarily come experience. The national average age to receive a license to drive is around 16 years old, and it is a good benchmark, and I think most people would agree with that. It is hard sometimes to gauge what makes a good, experienced driver. So, that is a point that I would like to reiterate, how old a person is doesn’t always affect how skilled they are at driving. Bad and reckless drivers come from all age groups. Lastly, I want to end by sharing some statistics. From the Safer America’s website I found this statistic: “every day, 3,287 deaths happen from car accidents. On a global scale, crashes are the leading cause of death in individuals ages 15-29.” I mentioned before how age does not necessitate skill, but it is clear that crashes are an issue of my generation. It is so easy to get severely hurt or die from driving a car. Especially when driving at high speeds, driving becomes increasingly risky. I have heard my peers speak about driving too fast, and bragging about it but it is so dangerous. Most people I would hope are not trying to crash into other cars, but when I heard this statistic it hit me like a slap in the face. The severity of this statistic should never be taken lightly, and whenever anyone drives they need to wake up and take it seriously.