Name: Allison Deshotels
From: Kansas City, MO
Votes: 0
Driving
is a Privilege
Obtaining
a license can be a huge milestone in one’s life, and not obtaining
a license can be an equally disappointing one. There is a dreaded
walk of shame whenever a test is failed. Many yearn for that freedom
of getting out of the house or not riding a school bus. That freedom,
however, isn’t earned instantly. Young drivers must put in the work
to understand the weight of responsibility.
Responsibility
can mean many things. Something as easy as making sure your gas cap
is closed, mirrors are properly adjusted, and headlights are on can
be incredibly important. Driver’s need to learn to be calm,
level-headed, and aware. Spreading that awareness prevents deadly
collisions or a simple parking ticket.
Awareness
through teaching will reduce the number of incidents. Unfortunately,
it is not possible to cut off all distractions while driving.
Distractions come at every angle. Changing a song, reading a
billboard, or having a lot on the mind can cost you.
When
I passed my second attempt at the driver’s test, I was floored.
Learning to drive never felt like a privilege to me. It was always
something that I needed to get done, and I put it off like a test in
class. When I first obtained my license, I wasn’t confident.
Highway driving scared me to no end and my turns were notoriously
bad. My nervous driving became a running joke between friends. That
running joke, however, soon haunted me.
A
month into driving, I got into an accident on my heavily anticipated
eighteenth birthday. I can still feel the drop in my stomach when I
slammed onto my breaks. It felt like riding a roller coaster, and I
wasn’t in control. I tapped another car, leaving a small dent above
their bumper. The small dent sent my brain into panic and my anxiety
through the sunroof. Neither me nor my friend were prepared for this.
Still shocked, I rushed to pull over. An irresponsible mistake. I
didn’t check to see if the lane was clear. An unidentified car
crashed into the passenger side. Luckily, the hit and run was not
fatal.
Since
the accident, I’ve taken the steps to get more familiar with
highway driving, I’ve trained myself to be an alert driver, and
I’ve learned to throw my distracting thoughts out the window
.
Experience
is the best form of learning. The incident was pivotal in changing my
mentality. I hope that other young drivers can learn what safe
driving means through the experiences of myself and others. I advise
them to be aware of who is in the car. Hurting a passenger is a heavy
burden to carry. A small fix of hanging up the phone, turning down
the music, or watching the road changes everything. Learning to drive
should never be rushed, no matter how cool a license makes you.
Confidence on the road can’t happen in a day. Learning takes time
and driving is a privilege, not a right.
