Safe Driving Can Save Lives – And Zucchini Bread

Safe
Driving Can Save Lives – And Zucchini Bread

Driver
education taught me a lot about the importance of driving safety, and
it’s the reason I haven’t been in a car wreck since getting my
license over a year ago. Drivers ed reduces the number of
driving deaths by informing people of the laws, etiquette, and
driving skills that allow you to travel safely. Having knowledge on
how roads work and how to navigate can significantly lower your risk
of getting in a car wreck. It is also equally important to know how
to drive safely, like always wearing a seatbelt and never getting
distracted. Without drivers ed, many lives would be lost to
ignorance.

When
I was about nine years old, my dad was driving me to my softball game
in his light blue Chevy truck, along with my sister. It was old and
only had three seats, so I was squished in the middle between the two
of them, eating zucchini bread from a small Hello Kitty bowl. All I
remember is the shift of my feelings from nervousness about the game
to the fear of colliding with another vehicle. We were on the country
road we live on, heading south through a two-way stop intersection in
which my dad had the right of way. There was a white car coming from
the east, faster than it should have been. There wasn’t enough time
for my dad to stop completely, and it was clear the other car had no
intention of doing so. Thankfully, nothing too bad happened; I hit my
head on the steering wheel from the inertia of my dad hitting the
breaks so fast. The worst that happened was my zucchini bread fell on
the floor and I had to attend my softball game with a pounding
headache.

The
other driver’s reason for the accident was that he thought it was a
four-way stop, so he figured my dad was going to stop and that he
wouldn’t have to. He was only about nineteen, relatively new to
driving, and obviously didn’t have much regard for others on the
road. I don’t hold any negative feelings toward him, but I hope
he’s aware that he could have killed three people (not including
himself) and that the entire situation could have been avoided if he
had only followed the law. To this day, I’m terrified to drive
through that intersection, even though I have to go through it
everyday to get to school and work. I always slow down and look both
ways a few times before proceeding, even though I know I have the
right of way. I’ve also developed a fear of being a passenger. I’ve
been in the car with several people who text and drive, or are
distracted in other ways. I’ve lost my trust in other people to do
the right thing when driving, which makes me want to always be the
one behind the wheel. I find it extremely stressful to ride in the
car with my own parents, even though they’re the best drivers I
know.

Thanks
to my growing amaxophobia, I have a lot of experience driving, and
I’d like to think that I’m a good driver. I’m always alert, and
never do anything except drive when I’m behind the wheel. I don’t
get on my phone, eat, or do anything else that could occupy my
attention. I know I will always do the right thing when driving
because I don’t want to risk anyone’s life. I have seen people
lose loved ones to car accidents, and I never want to hurt anyone
like that. Of course, if I were to get into an accident of someone
else’s fault, there’s nothing I could do. This is why driver
education is important; so that everyone on the road is as
knowledgeable as possible to reduce the risk of death when driving.

As
drivers, we must do all that we can to spread the message of safe and
focused driving. Stop your friend from texting on their phone. Your
lives are more important than that message. Tell the taxi driver to
stop completely. A faster arrival isn’t worth the death of a
pedestrian. Make your mom put her seatbelt on. Comfort isn’t worth
the loss of a parent. It’s important to do the little things to
instill the message of safe driving. When you drive safely, you’re
saving your own life and the lives of passengers, pedestrians, and
all the other drivers on the road. Not to mention a nine-year-old
girl’s bowl of zucchini bread.