Never Too Old for Education

Although
I received my license a bit over 2 years ago, there is still so much
excitement, freedom, and independence when getting behind the wheel
of a car. I remember when I first learned to drive, I felt so free to
be able to go wherever I wanted to. The first couple of weeks of
driving were surely a time when I was most cautious because I was
still getting comfortable behind the wheel, but at the same, as a
young 16 year old, I was eager to show off to my friends. I think
that drivers ed is extremely important in reducing deaths
because it teaches both young and old drivers that you can never be
too cautious. No matter what age and no matter how much experience
you have, distracted driving can occur which can lead to the death of
another individual. Therefore, if there is more emphasis on driver
education, people will be more aware when they get behind the wheel
of a car to not only be safe for themselves, but also for others.

Some
steps to reduce the number of deaths related to driving should surely
be to utilize social media. For one, there should be an automatic
setting on all iPhone and Android devices that sends an automatic
text message to simply say “The individual you are trying to
contact is driving” based on a reading of the speed of the car in
movement. I also believe that companies such as Uber and Lyft should
have more discounts because sometimes paying $30 for a ride share is
too much for someone, which causes them to think their only option is
to drive home drunk. Lastly, there should be use of social media
platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat that give
reminders to practice safe, undistracted driving.

Unfortunately,
only weeks after I got my license, I crashed my car. I was only 16, I
had a group of school friends and french exchange students in my car
(over the limit), and it was past the curfew. I was trying to show
off my new driving skills and we were blasting music when all of a
sudden I hit the side of the car on the edge of an underpass. As soon
as the car jolted and I felt that the tire had popped, the car went
silent. Being the one driving, I felt absolutely horrible about the
danger that I could have just put them through. To this day, I am
thankful everyday that it was not worse than it was but I certainly
learned the most important lesson which is that driving is an amazing
liberty, but when not respected and done the right way, a car can
become a killing machine. It is so important that both young and
experienced drivers are practicing safe and undistracted driving
because everytime you make the decision to step onto that road, you
are making the decision to keep your life and others out of danger.