What My Accident Invoked In Me

I
have always regarded myself as a good driver. My family and friends
would agree that behind the wheel I am conscientious and quite
observant of my surroundings. However, a month ago, on the drive home
from school, the one I’ve grown much too comfortable with, I
rear-ended another vehicle. I had never felt this anxiety or guilt
and was unsure of what to do. Luckily, there was no damage to drivers
or vehicles, but like I said, that was lucky. In
about 1.7 million rear-end collisions each year in the United States,
around 17,000 people die and another 500,000 are hurt. My accident
inspired me to implement changes in the way I drive. I began to
hardly ever drive tired, confirmed all passengers wear seat belts,
and my smartphone turned off for the duration of the drive.

My
drivers ed certainly had a part in me now continually
keeping up with these habits. It influences a person to drive safely
because we all become more aware of the consequences. Driver’s
education is deeply important because it takes away the dreamer that
thinks we’ll never get hurt and invokes the reality that no one is
safe during driving, but there are precautions to follow that can
save you and many others. Never driving inebriated and staying off of
your cell phone are the two most common rules to follow. Both actions
can affect how you perceive your surroundings and can inevitably
cause an accident due to your ignorance in the driver’s seat. Also,
getting pulled over for driving under the influence has many major
ramifications that can linger for years and years. There are fees and
fines, drunk driving programs, the suspension of your driver’s
license, and even jail time. These are all things that can extremely
affect your lifestyle solely for making one stupid decision. Next
comes one that might seem trivial, but can also affect your sense of
the world around you and cause you to fall unalert behind the wheel.
Don’t drive when you’re tired or feel uncomfortable driving. You
could potentially fall victim to highway hypnosis and fall asleep
behind the wheel, leaving your life up to fate. Finally, it’s
important to wear your seat belts and ensure that your passengers are
as well. Seat Belts can save you or your passenger from hitting the
windshield or flying any which way if there’s impact with another car
or sliding of any sort. Ensuring the safety of you and your
passengers may seem like a small feat, but can truly save you from
falling into a lifelong consequence.