It’s Just Driving

It’s
Just Driving

At the age of
sixteen most kids are eager to get behind the wheel of a car. They
don’t think much of it other than that they get to drive. In their
minds it’s “just driving”. However, what they don’t realize
is that it is one of the most dangerous things they can do at their
age. In the blink of an eye, or reading a text, answering a phone
call, or even just snapping a picture can turn to worst case
scenario. What those teenagers don’t realize is that they are not
only putting themselves at risk, but everyone else’s too. Even
going what seems like just five miles over the speed limit, can mean
putting lives at risk.

These reasons
are why we educate ourselves on the dangers of driving and protect
ourselves when someone else ignores those dangers. We attend driver’s
education so that we may understand laws and safety regulations on
the road before we even have the chance to physically have our
license. If we educate ourselves on the dangers of driving, then we
may find ways to avoid collisions and prevent deaths. For those that
choose to ignore the safety regulations and the law, police officers
have to put themselves at risk every day by patrolling and issuing
tickets and, if necessary, arresting those that put others lives in
danger.

As for myself, I
have not been in an accident. However, I have been in the car with
someone who was not driving very safely at all. That person put my
life and everybody else’s around us at risk. I have also had been
in various occasions where I was driving and someone near me was
driving recklessly as well. Being in that situation is scary and all
you want to do is get away from that person as safely as possible.
Those people could have caused a collision and killed an innocent
person’s life. The consequences of anybody driving while texting,
talking on the phone, eating, drinking, etc. is monumental. The death
toll for collisions would dramatically decrease if more people were
educated and continued to educate themselves on these dangers and how
they could prevent themselves form becoming part of the statistic.

Educations is
key when understanding the dangers of driving. Following education is
taking any steps needed to prevent yourself from causing or being
involved in a collision. To prevent yourself from using your phone,
you could simply just turn off your ringer and place your phone in
your pocket or your purse where you won’t be able to see your
notifications either. When it comes to eating and drinking, just put
your sandwich and coffee down and remind yourself that it can wait,
or you can put your food in a bag in the back seat. Out of sight out
of mind is key to a lot of the prevention steps. If you can’t see
it then you don’t think about it and if you aren’t thinking about
it the less likely you are to use it.