Privilege

Nothing screams
tolerant more than letting your older brother that just got back from
UT Dallas for the summer pick your new car. Especially when the color
choice is bright orange and you’re an Aggie. That is how my
neighbor, Jason, got his car.

Subaru’s Outback
is a spectacular car. With a backup camera, intelligent center
console, and great fuel economy, there is very little to complain
about. The only thing holding Jason’s car back was our luck. During
that year, we have been in 6 car accidents together and the truth is
that none of them were his fault. One morning, a tired Chevy truck
driver drove into an Infiniti SUV behind us, then pushed the SUV into
us. Another morning, a metro city bus had its bicycle rack down and
attempted a right turn.The rack hit us while we were waiting at the
stop light to turn left. When drivers don’t focus or take driving
seriously, it puts every other driver on the road in danger.

Since the 1930s, The
United States has required drivers to take drivers ed courses
about the signs, laws, and consequences of driving. Such as the right
of way, so drivers have easy usage of an intersection. The “Zero
Tolerance Law” is important for underage drivers to understand that
it is illegal to drive under any amount and any kind of influence.
These laws are the same across the board, and are very effective in
decreasing motor vehicle fatality rate. Being educated on the same
set of laws, signs, and driving manners creates a standardized system
and mutual understanding between drivers on the road. There is a
standard right answer for what to do while driving. When all drivers
follow these standards, the risk of putting other people in danger
and causing accidents drastically decreases. So far, there aren’t
any federal laws that ban the usage of cell phones while driving, and
they can be a great form of distraction.

When I see dangerous
drivers on the road, my muscles tense up and I feel unease. I don’t
want to instill the same kind of worry or nervousness to others
around me, so I never check my phone during a drive, I don’t play
music too loud, and I always check my surroundings before backing out
into an area. I always check to make sure the headlights are turned
on or that all doors of the vehicle are shut and locked. Most
importantly, my father has always maintained an open conversation
about being on the road. His younger brother, who would be 42 now,
passed away in a motorcycle accident when he was 16 and my father was
18. My uncle was riding without a license. As hurtful as it is for
him to bring it up and talk about, he has always mentioned it to me
as a reminder. Life is fragile and driving is a privilege, not a
right. We must not abuse it. We have to drive safely, for ourselves,
the people around us, and generations after.