Name: Hassan El-Fil
From: Aubrey, Texas
Votes: 0
Driving
Responsibly in the Driver’s Seat
As a newly
licensed young adult, I can’t stress enough the importance of
Drivers ed. Growing up, driving was always a dream. I never
quite understood the need for me to wait until I got older. Of
course, logistically, I had to wait until my feet could reach the
pedals before occupying the coveted driver’s seat but, beyond that,
why did it have to allude me until my teens? At Chuck E Cheese’s,
I mastered the driving games with ease. In junior high, my mom
couldn’t even beat me at Wasteland Racers. I would often beg my
parents and big sister to just let me drive around the block
thinking, “what harm could that possibly do.” I would plead and
plead to no avail. Little did I know, they had wisdom beyond my young
years on the matter.
When my parents
decided to put me in drivers ed, I was ecstatic. Here was
finally my chance to prove that driving was super easy. Instead of
actual driving, to my dismay, I was stuck in drivers ed class
watching short videos and slideshows. I was frustrated. That was
until the day my pregnant stepmother got in a car accident. At the
time she was pregnant with my sister. It was a rough time for my
family. The other driver was distracted. It was then that I realized
the importance of drivers ed in reducing the number of deaths
as a result of driving. From that day, I started paying more
attention in drivers ed. Suddenly I was nervous instead of
anxious to get behind the wheel.
The accident
prompted me to explore what steps I can take to be a better and safer
driver as well as help others become safer on the road. When
statistics were mentioned on the number of U.S. Highway deaths as a
result of driving, I realized that one of the steps to reduce that
number is additional education, training, and practice. I became much
more attentive in drivers ed, even opting for additional training
above what was required. I realized that the more defensive driving
skills I acquired through practice, the more likely I’ll be
prepared for anything. Given that the number of US Highway deaths
surpasses the number of lives lost at war, my family is lucky. My
little sister was born without injury and my mother has fully
recovered. The accident that had occurred with my mother and unborn
sister was a result of a distracted driver. I made a pledge to avoid
being distracted on the road and even went as far as to install an
app on my family’s cell phones that prevents phone use while
driving. I’m glad my parents and older siblings made me wait until
the proper age and training to get behind the wheel. It is hands down
the biggest responsibility I’ve been given.
