YOLO – you only live once, use it wisely

You
just turned 15 and are walking out of the DMV as a brand new driver.
You feel as if you have the world at your fingertips but only if an
adult is with you. Everyday hundreds of new drivers are learning how
to drive and we are the ones driving with them. Driving instructors
and parents are teaching kids the do’s and don’ts of driving. By
teaching kids how to drive responsibly and making them aware of the
consequences if they choose to text and drive or drink, we are
teaching the next generation how to be safe drivers and how not to
cause accidents.

You see flashing
lights behind you so you slow down and pull over. The cop walks up to
your window and tells you to slow down because you were going 25 over
the speed limit. Occurrences like this happen daily. We’re driving
down the freeway and we see someone zip right past us if we wouldn’t
have seen that car there could have been a major accident. To prevent
huge accidents everyone has to follow the speed limit. Speed limits
are there for a reason and if we can’t follow them why do we follow
any other rule. Apart from speed limits, to ensure safe driving we
have to go back to the basics. “Mirror mirror over the shoulder”
when changing lanes to make sure there is not a car there, or always
looking both ways before turning left to make sure there isn’t a
car speeding through. Little steps can go a long way.

When I was 16, I
had just gotten my license 4 months prior. I was driving to school
one morning with my two sisters, and my friend who I drove everyday.
We were coming up to a right turn yield and I stopped because there
was a car in front of me. This car started going but then slammed on
his brakes which caused me to slam on my brakes; however, it was an
icy morning. I slid into his car going less than 5 mph. No damage to
his car but I was traumatized. I was hyperventilating in the front
seat of my car. My sister handled all the information swapping, I
couldn’ t breathe. Luckily it was a minor accident and no one got
hurt.

My generation
struggles with texting and driving, our whole lives are in our phones
and it is hard to put that down. We hear a buzz and we want to check
who it is from. To make me a better driver, I swear to put down the
phone. The person can wait, driving always is number one when you are
behind the wheel. I pledge to follow the speed limits and do the
little things. For me to become a safer driver that means the road is
one more person to a safer road.