Name: Kaylee Madison Ruiz
From: Porterville , California
Votes: 0
A
Small Step is a Step Nonetheless
Imagine
being in the driver’s seat, driving as slow as the speeding limit
will allow you. Rather, imagine being in the passenger seat, watching
as the gas level rises to 40 then to a 60. I’d like to think that I
speak for myself and for others when I say that we all don’t want
to be a victim of either being an unsafe driver or witnessing one.
Without
a drivers ed, it is most likely that the number of
fatalities caused by unsafe driving will increase to its highest
maximum. In 2012 alone, there were more than 30,000 deaths, location?
The highway. The relevance of having a drivers ed might not
mean much if you have never experienced the consequences. However,
adding to the fatalities is not the solution nor will it ever be. Our
job, as a growing society into the new year of 2019, is to prevent
such incidents from occurring as often. As kids grow into teens and
as teens begin to show a desire to drive, the first step is to get a
drivers ed. Knowing the ins and outs around the road and
especially the highway will at least help prevent situations that can
possibly result in deaths or injuries. Even if it’s a little step,
it’s a step nonetheless.
As
a kid, I always remembered that my parents were very safe drivers. I
remembered them telling me to buckle my seatbelt before they began to
shift the gear into drive. They always stopped when necessary and
never went over the speed limit. Yet, I’ll never forget when I saw
my grandfather pick me up from basketball practice in middle school
one day. It was odd because my mom always got off at 5:30pm and
practice ended at 8pm. My ears went numb when he told me that she had
been in a car accident because the driver in front of her wasn’t
paying attention. In the end, I came to find out that she was alright
but her wrist was damaged. I know she never talks about it but the
trauma of being in that situation has stayed with her. I noticed how
she started to drive under the speed limit and always stopped even
when she didn’t need to. My mother’s psychological trauma was the
result of an unsafe driver.
As
small as it may seem, a drivers ed will create a long lasting
effect of responsibility on the road. As a community we can change
how the significance of safe driving is distributed. Since I have
been to school, there has been no signs or reminders of a driver’s
education anywhere. I get it, a drivers ed is not the #1
priority around school but ensuring a students safety is. I’d like
to know or to even see that the place I go to for 8 hours a day will
care about my safety. Even if it’s not you, there will always be
someone here today and gone tomorrow.
