Speed Through Life, But Never Through Streets

2020
Drivers ed Essay Contest

Speed
Through Life, But Never Through Streets

Just
because you like to live your life fast doesn’t mean you should be
driving fast, either.

More
often than not, many accidents on the road occur as a result of
distracted driving or just plain ignorance of the rules of the road.
The importance of drivers ed, especially in the instances of
knowing your speed limits and when you’re allowed to do things such
as merge and turn, are instrumental in the reduction of accidents
behind the wheel. I believe that many times new drivers are not
taught how to be fully aware of their surroundings when driving.
Usually, it is as if when drivers are behind the wheel, they see the
windshield as a TV screen with no consequences. The same can also be
said for adults who believe they own the roads and are allowed to not
use their turn signals and merge within inches of the car behind
them. The main step to be taken is to teach new drivers, specifically
teenagers, that they are not invincible and they can and will die
behind the wheel if they so choose. Also teaching teenagers how to be
more aware of their surroundings on the road and that irresponsible
driving is a choice, not a personality trait, will be a great
motivation in showing new drivers how fatal their actions could be.
Thankfully, I have never been in a crash, but I have come close many
times. It has always been the fault of the other driver either not
using their turn signal and merging within inches in front of my car
or thinking that I am going too slow for them (when really I’m
following the speed limit), honking, then speeding up and merging in
front of me and brake checking me just to be rude. Which is
ridiculous, if I’m going to be honest, because we always end up at
the same stoplight anyways, but, I digress. In terms of my own
personal driving, I could always be better at slowing down
efficiently for my turns, because I usually take them a little too
fast, swing a little too wide, and end up shifting whatever/whoever
is in the car with me. In that same vein, I think I’m too passive
behind the wheel at times, always letting more cars than I should
drive in front of me at stop signs, slowing down too hard and too
suddenly at non-stop light turns, and things like that. Being
cautious and safe is what I pride myself on, but being too
cautious
can be a hazard. Parking is also something I could work on, as I
either park crookedly or a little too close to the car next to me,
and that proves to be an inconvenience more than anything, and I’d
hate to inconvenience strangers with my fixable issue. In conclusion,
it is so important to teach teens that they can be a hazard to
themselves and that the next time they do something unsafe or
illegal, to imagine that their loved one was in the passenger seat
next to them. Scary, right? Good.