In the Driver’s Seat

Abigail
Peters

24
November 2019

In
the Driver’s Seat 

By:
Abigail Peters

    Driving
is such a rewarding yet dangerous task. Driving allows a person to
have freedom, but it also presents danger. Each person is driving an
average 4000 pound piece of metal and because of this, when in a car
wreck, it occasionally presents life-threatening accidents. Through
taking drivers ed as a fourteen year old, I began to realize
the importance of being safe on the road. I was able to learn the
tips of driving in a very populated area and the importance of being
safe on the road at a young age. Driving education is crucial in
reducing the number of deaths because it teaches safe and defensive
driving while also presenting the class with real life situations
where safe and defensive driving weren’t implicated and an accident
resulted. Personally, my drivers ed teacher told the class
a story that left everyone in tears. He described a time in which he
taught a high school class and had a student that was pregnant. She
was driving home one night and got hit by an intoxicated driver,
killing her and the baby. My teacher further went on to explain that
although one may think their own actions won’t affect others, they
do and they can be detrimental. 

    To
reduce the number of deaths related to driving, I believe that
putting up one’s phone would help immensely. Most accidents that
occur today are caused by distracted and reckless driving. Each year,
there are around 1.6 million crashes due to the use of cell phones on
the road. Whenever I drive, I always put my phone in the glovebox to
ensure that I won’t get distracted when I am driving. I think
everyone should take this precaution because this would help reduce
the amount of car wrecks on the road. 

    I
have personally never been in a car accident driving by myself but
was sadly in one when I was seven. My mom was the driver and we were
headed down to see my grandparents for Christmas when we got in a
wreck. The car accident was caused by a teenager who ran a red light
due to the use of his phone. On top of being distracted, he also
didn’t have his driver’s license in his possession at the time.
After seeing my mother’s face when we crashed, I remember being
instantly fearful and crying due to the pain and shock. Safety on the
road is extremely important to me because my family and I have been
involved in a wreck that could have taken our lives all due to
someone who wasn’t paying attention to the road. 

    I
can be a better and safer driver by being aware at all times and
driving defensively. I could also take additional driver safety
courses in order to improve my driving and increase my awareness of
these issues. I have a few friends who could use some advice in their
driving, so I could point them towards some driving safety courses as
well as present them with the same challenge I took on with putting
their phone away and out of sight when driving. Increasing the
awareness is key in keeping others safe on the road and telling your
inner circle of friends and family will help jumpstart that
awareness.