Name: Lindsey Marie Widel
From: Freeburg, Illinois
Votes: 0
Are
Our Roadways as Safe as They Could Be?
It is so important for our
young drivers to receive drivers’ education before they start
driving. That education can be the concrete foundation of how well
the student performs while behind the wheel. Most student drivers
think that an accident could and will not happen to them. But the
statistics show that in fact most teen drivers under the age of
eighteen will have some type of fender bender before they reach
twenty-one. Drivers’ education can be fundamental in teaching new
drivers the safe way to travel.
In
my opinion, showing new drivers a video of what an automobile can
look like after a deathly crash is a must. New drivers, especially
teens, learn more by seeing than just hearing about what can happen.
They have videos now that show what dummies bodies go through when
they are in a car accident without seat belts. It can bring the
realization to those kids as to what your body can go through in a
bad accident. The video would be even better if it is high school
kids, perhaps getting ready to go to prom. It could be a short film
and showing the kids all getting ready, perhaps making the big
mistake of drinking before they get behind the wheel. People need to
see what can actually happen, not just hear someone speak on the
subject.
I
myself have not been involved in a car accident, but it makes me
nervous when I see friends/family driving irresponsibly. I have
personally had friends who have chosen to drink and then get behind a
wheel, something I am just not okay with. My mother and I were almost
involved in a head on from a driver who we could see was clearly on
his phone and pulled back into his lane right before hitting us. I
also have seen my family snap chatting or checking that text “real
quick” while driving. I have been guilty of this a time or two as
well. But I think for me, the reason I do not try and get distracted
while driving is partly due to the video I watched during driver’s
education. It showed what a bad automobile impact can look like.
My
twin sister and I have both decided a few months back to put our
phones in the backseat while driving so we are not tempted to pick
them up. I find that since I have placed it on silent in the
backseat, I don’t have that urgency feeling to check it. If
everyone would adopt that practice there would be a lot less
accidents due to being distracted. The other thing a driver can do to
become more safe is to place the phone on “do not disturb, driving
mode”. When your phone is on this mode, the phone will not display
a message or make any sounds as to not alert you about messages.
Therefore, you will not be as inclined to grab it because you heard
an alert.
In
conclusion, being a smart driver is being a safe driver. The text,
email, snap chat and tweet can wait, plain and simple. More people
would arrive alive if we all just stopped feeling like our phones
have to be on us 24/7. I am a senior in high school so I definitely
hate not having my phone on me while driving. I personally know that
if my phone is near me while driving, I’m going to be tempted to
get on it. My mom knows that if she text me and I don’t answer,
then I am probably driving and will answer as soon as I arrive. It
helps if young drivers make each other accountable as well. The
couple times my friends have driven distracted I chastise them. I let
them know that I care about them too much to see them hurt themselves
or someone else due to carelessness.
