Name: Oliver Fox Packham
From: ogden, UT
Votes: 0
My name is Oliver
Packham, I am a junior at Davinci Academy and I plan to go into
Materials engineering after taking all of my generals at snow
college. I started driving about six months ago and have been lucky
to make it this far without a crash. Mostly thanks to those who drive
around me. However one day someone is going to mess up next to me and
my goal is to be ready at that time. That means paying attention to
everyone around me and being ready to act.
When I started
driving I felt that my driving teacher was exaggerating the danger of
driving and that as long as you weren’t stupid you wouldn’t get
in a crash. However, as I’ve driven I have been exposed to many of
the dangers from turning left onto a divided street to not watching
as my lane made a swerve and even almost getting into a crash myself
while looking at another car crash.
What people tell
you in drivers ed is true. Cars are deadly when used carelessly. When
you text in the driver’s seat or decide to drive drunk you are
playing with a two-ton cage of steel moving at breakneck speeds and
it’s not just your life you’re playing with. One glance at your
phone can make you miss the car in front of you stopping for a dog.
One late decision can cause you to blast through a red light and
right into a minivan full of kids.
However, nothing
has changed my perspective of driving more than seeing someone smash
into a water barrier on a freeway divide from a glance at her phone.
The power we have in a car is insane, she blew through four water
barrels and flew across the lane skidding to a stop in the middle
lane with her car crumpled in half and missing three wheels. She was
ok that time but I can hardly imagine what would have happened if she
had run into a wall or another car heading in the opposite direction.
Driving is a
constant game of attention because an empty street in the woods can
turn into a herd of deer faster than you can type gtg. Driving needs
your attention and even texting your friend that you can’t talk now
or taking a sip of your friend’s beer is poking a dog with a hot
poker.
After seeing what
I have seen I will never consume any amount of alcohol before driving
or look at my phone and I implore you to take my word for the dangers
of driving or watch a video of a crash and decide to do the same
before it’s too late. I’m sure If I had seen the kind of power
behind a car before taking to the roads I would have taken driving
much more seriously.
