Before You Drive

Drivers ed
Initiative Scholarship Essay

Anna Bacon

Before
You Drive

I had always looked
forward to driving – as the oldest of three sisters, I am constantly
striving for independence, and getting my driverś license was a huge
step towards my independence. It was exciting to finally be able to
have the freedom that comes with a driverś license, but I quickly
realized just how much responsibility comes with it. Ironically, I
was pulling out of my auto shop after receiving a minor repair on my
car when my accident happened. I had turned onto the four-lane street
and had driven about 50 feet when, out of nowhere, another car had
pulled out in front of me. I slammed on my brakes but it wasn’t
enough and I had t-boned the other driver. There were no serious
injuries from the accident, and, luckily, my dad was right behind me.
However, this was a terrifying experience for me. It made me realize
that even though I trust my own skills as a driver, I had no control
over the other drivers on the road. The accident had totaled my car,
and the driver at fault had no insurance so we received no
compensation for the accident. The other driver had been driving
impaired, causing his logic and reaction time to be damaged. His
irresponsible choice to drive while under the influence of drugs had
resulted in a traumatic experience for me and financial strain for my
family. It´s important that drivers realize that their poor
decisions can have an extremely negative effect on others. This is
something that is not stressed enough in todayś world – as a
self-centered society, we too often do not consider the consequences
that our choices can have on those around us. If we begin to take
others into consideration before we make decisions this could assist
in a reduction of driving accidents. Before sitting behind a wheel
while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, think about the
emotional toll you could put upon someoneś mother, son, or
grandparent. Before checking your phone to see who texted you,
consider the physical harm you could bring to a strangerś loved one.
Before you decide to speed when running late, realize how much pain
you could bring to your family or friends in your backseat. As a
whole, if we begin to think about others before we make decisions, we
could help to save the lives of our fellow drivers. Driverś
education is an important tool in teaching new drivers the proper and
safe way to drive. The consequences of one’s actions should be
stressed throughout driverś education to help young people make wise
decisions before they decide whether they should drive. Before I got
my license, it was easy to only see the freedom of being behind the
wheel but not the responsibility that comes with it. My experiences
have taught me that driving is a great privilege but itś one that
needs to be approached with the respect it deserves.