Many Souls on an Open Road

34,000
lives per year are taken away quickly and unexpectedly due to
reckless behavior while driving. What happened in those final minutes
before they met death? Were they listening to their favorite song? Or
maybe they were texting their mom, “I love you.” thinking that a
few seconds won’t harm anyone. Did they just not know?

We
as a society must be aware of all lives in and out of a moving
vehicle. To start the change, it is crucial for adults to set
standards for behavior in the car for new, young drivers. It is with
proper education and acknowledging the standards, we will be able to
decrease the number of deaths. The importance of reducing the number
of deaths due to driving is that it will make the roads safer
overall. If we can decrease the number, as a society we are helping
the general public succeed in a mission. In order to do this,
citizens should be required to retake a driving course whenever they
renew their licences. In this course, they will learn about updated
driving laws and a review of the common laws. Also, as a society we
must not condone distracted driving. It must be pushed that using
one’s phone, drinking while driving and any other reckless behavior
is inappropriate. If these standards are pushed more as a society the
behavior will diminish.

For
privacy reasons, I will not be referring to anyone by name in the
following story. I have a close friend who suffered emotionally from
irresponsible driving. Late one night, her dad had said he was going
to the store and would be back soon. She went to sleep thinking he
would be back soon. She woke up the next morning completely alone in
her house. Her dad never came home that night. Eventually, she was
able to get the full. He had gotten into a car accident and was
intoxicated. He had crashed their car, and left her alone all night.
When I saw her, the tear stains and bright red face said it all, she
was horrified with his decision. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but
they were left with no car for nearly three months and had to use
Uber everywhere. Reckless driving does not only affect the driver
physically, but themselves and others emotionally.

As
a driver, there are many steps I can take to protect myself and
others while on the road. I should always remember that my phone can
wait to be looked at. If it is too distracting, I can always turn it
off for the duration of my ride. Also, if I am not feeling well, it
is always okay to ask someone else for a ride. It should always be
remember accidents do not only affects ourselves, but the others
around us. If you are in an unsafe driving situation, pull over if
possible and contact someone right away. Your life should come before
anything