Name: Caitlyn Galvan-Rodriguez
From: San Jose, California
Votes: 0
Growing
up in a low-income household I longed for my own vehicle so that I
could have autonomy and independence. My primary source of
transportation was the public transit bus that ran by my neighborhood
every hour. The bus route was long and limited which was
inconvenient, because I had to take two or more buses to get to my
destination. When I had finally saved enough money to purchase my
first vehicle, I was ecstatic. However, that excitement was short
lived when I realized I needed to learn how to drive first. Luckily,
my aunt was willing to pay for a drivers ed course for my
17th
birthday. It was the best investment she ever made, because I learned
the rules of the road from an expert in the field. I believe that
this experience taught me to be a cautious and safe driver. Offering
free drivers ed courses in high schools and in colleges can
significantly reduce the number of deaths related to driving by
ensuring new drivers are informed and prepared to hit the road.
Additionally, I believe that minimizing distractions while driving
will significantly reduce accidents. The primary cause of distraction
is cell phone use, offering individuals free or low-cost hands-free
car cell phone holders will help prevent distractions.
One
of my close childhood friends was recently in a serious car accident,
she almost lost her life and was in critical condition for weeks. She
was rushing to work, got distracted and drove into a semitruck head
on. She is a mother of three and her family has been significantly
impacted from the medical bills and missed work. She is still
receiving rehabilitative care and may never walk again. Through my
friend’s unfortunate experience, I have learned the importance of
removing all distractions while driving and always giving myself
extra time to get to a destination so that I abide by the speed
limits.
Due
to budget cuts many schools have been impacted and the first to be
cut are elective courses and extracurricular activities. My high
school, like many others didn’t offer a drivers ed course
to students. It is unfortunate that students are not able to take
advantage of learning to drive from experts in a controlled setting.
So, I stick by my suggestion to provide new drivers and even
experienced drivers free drivers ed courses. This course will
be accessible to all levels of learning and include an overview of
the importance of limiting distractions while driving, at the
conclusion of the course participants will be provided with a
hands-free car cell phone holder. I personally benefited from my
experience and if my aunt wasn’t so graciously willing to pay for
the drivers ed course, I would have missed out on an
opportunity to keep the roads safe.
