The Sanctity of Life

Quinn
Smith

15
March 2020

DMV
Essay Contest

The
Sanctity of Life

Being
a driver is a privilege not a right; we must acknowledge our
collective responsibility to ensure the protection of lives on and
off the roads not only by their own vigilance but by a united
commitment to respect the sanctity of life. Thorough drivers ed
is one of the major champions of accident prevention and is key to
reducing loss of life on the roads. Having a communal understanding
of the importance of the rules of the road is tantamount to safe
driving; how can we expect to have safe roads if the extent of the
rules and regulations are not common knowledge. Having standardized
drivers ed significantly reduces the likelihood of
misunderstandings and neglect of traffic laws which often lead to
crashes and in some cases deaths. By increasing the likelihood of
penalties for breaking traffic and driving laws, number of benefits
for safe drivers, and the difficulty of the license earning process
we can drastically reduce the number of deaths on the roads each year
nationwide. By reducing the number of and more routinely reprimanding
careless drivers on the roads and rewarding those who are ensuring
the safety of others we can improve the emphasis that our society has
on road safety. While some may argue this may be too harsh it is
still lacking in comparison to the severity of the road safety
regulations and policies of many other countries and once again,
driving is a privilege not a right. An inconvenience that may come in
the form of a ticket or a delay in the obtaining of a license far
pales in comparison to the potential loss of life and livelihood for
those affected by the prevented crashes. I pride myself in being a
diligent driver not perfect in any sense but caution and risk
reduction are principles when it comes into my transportation; I have
first hand witnessed the consequences that arise from unsafe driving.
My mom, who I have unconditional love for, put me in a situation
where I didn’t know if I could trust my own parent. She had been
involved in a crash and a DUI when I had just started high school; I
was just about 14, thankfully she recovered and had been the only
person involved in the situation but I was distraught. My father was
out of town so my brother Haven and I had to go drive to an impound
lot to get the car towed home and then in the same long day pick my
mother up from a correctional facility after she had been detained.
That memory of walking my crying shaking mother back to the car only
to have my recently licensed brother and I in the front driving our
caretaker home has and will always stick with me. The breathalyzer
installed on her car was a reminder to me and my 16 year old brother
for years to come that we nearly were a single parent family. I had
nightmares about my mom being involved in another accident and I was
constantly vigilant about who was driving what car and where we were
all located. I couldn’t allow myself to lose the woman who had
protected me for so long and I realized at 14 it was my turn to take
over that role of guardian. Going through drivers ed and subsequently
getting my license and driving has been a wholly different experience
for myself because of this. I memorized everything I could to a T
about accident prevention and road safety and have taken it upon
myself to help others avoid situations like that. I have decided to
forgo alcohol consumption now and as an adult as I always want to be
a reliable ride for anyone who might not have one. With the
unfortunate reality of underage drinking this has already become a
helpful choice for me throughout my high school years and will
continue to benefit me as I move onto college. Now not everyone has
to do what I do but it is important to recognize that disassociating
and speaking with reckless and illegal driver behavior is key to
preventing accidents; I can protect those around me by dissenting
peer pressure and refusing to ride with and convincing those that are
unsafe drivers to weigh the impacts and change their ways. We must
all take it upon ourselves to spread awareness and practice road
safety and obey all of the traffic rules and laws, not just the
convenient ones. After all it is not any singular person that will
revolutionize road safety but rather a network of citizens committed
to a preservation of the sanctity of life.