The following excerpt is from Sarah Graham, our 2024 Behind The Wheel Scholarship winner. Sarah reflects on the importance of safe driving and why it matters so deeply to her. Thank you to Sarah for sharing this inspiring story.
Why the Importance of Safe Driving Matters to Me
One thing I hold dear to me is my knowledge and passion for safe driving. As teenagers, many people believe we are reckless drivers who text and drink while driving. The rebellious personalities that teens tend to portray feed this idea. It is not always teens who show reckless behavior on the road. Still, I believe there is a mild stereotype of less wise beings like us teenagers. I promise that I would never jeopardize my life or another life once I got my license at sixteen years old.
With that, I understand how the slightest mistake of being distracted while driving can instantly change lives. It has happened to my family and those around me in my community. That is why, no matter the peer pressure around me, I will never give in behind the wheel. I refuse to text or drive under the influence, because that surely risks the lives of others.
Growing up around alcoholism, I developed strong emotions about what that meant to me, especially when it touched another person’s life. My sense of right and wrong runs deep. After being exposed to such things, it would never cross my mind to make that bad decision while driving. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death. Some happen by accident, and reckless behavior causes others that someone could have prevented.
How Safe Driving Protects the Whole Community
I want to acknowledge that safe driving prevents accidents and injuries, saves lives, helps the environment, and models positive behavior. It creates a safe environment where citizens feel comfortable driving. Not all people realize the importance of these minor contributors that add up to make a big difference in the world. These combining factors show what helps society become a safe and comfortable place. Driving carries an underlying fear for me and for many others worldwide. Always stay alert to yourself and other drivers, because they might not make the right decisions and can cause an accident.
Practicing safe driving precautions protects the general public, not just a select number of people. It also brings economic stability and eases the burden of overbearing insurance cases caused by unsafe driving. The younger generations who are new to the road need to take accountability for their actions. They must make the right choice and understand what is dangerous and what is safe. They might not always grasp the extent of the danger. To reemphasize, you never know when the worst will happen. Someone gets that call, and the person they hold dear has been in an accident and sometimes does not make it out alive.
Recognizing the Risks Behind the Wheel
As a teenager, I recognize the importance and stress of safe driving. People in my family have been in accidents and barely spared their lives. When something detrimental happens to someone in your life, the dangers of being behind the wheel become real. Not everyone will immediately comprehend this, especially those who are just starting. Upcoming sixteen-year-olds, or anyone about to receive a driver’s license, should learn the rules of the road. They should also learn the emotional side of driving: the risks and the dangers. People overlook that aspect or push it aside, as crucial as it is. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers guidance that helps new drivers understand these very risks.
Being a Role Model for Safe Driving
Being a safe driver means being a role model for your friends, community, and nation. It is critical, because it can partly determine who is safe and who is not. It also helps us empathize with victims of car accidents and understand the reality of reckless driving. Close relatives surround my family who have faced penalties for driving under the influence or causing an accident through texting or distractions. It wracks me to my core, because I cannot imagine my family or the people in the other vehicles getting injured, or worse. That is why I feel strongly about driving the speed limit, wearing seatbelts, never texting and driving, and, most importantly, never driving under the influence. I will always share this message with others around me.
I take pride in how deeply educating my peers and loved ones lies in my heart. My goal is to ensure their safety and the safety of others on the road. Through my own behavior and decisions, I know I will never cause an accident I could have prevented. Never think that accidents do not happen, because they do, and they will. It is an everyday occurrence, but going the extra mile to follow the rules is not challenging. As technology progresses and the world evolves, companies have created tools that improve the driving experience. These include built-in GPS in cars, which lets you keep looking straight ahead while your directions stay visible.
Using Tools and Experience to Drive Safely
Some models of cars also have a Carplay feature. It lets you use voice recognition technologies such as Siri or Google to send messages and give commands without looking away from the road. These resources help, yet not everyone can reach them, so others must take extra measures to ensure car safety. Overall, practice and experience are the proper way to grow comfortable over time with driving. As you learn the maneuvers of your car and your community, you encounter the traffic patterns and gain knowledge of potential danger zones.
Educating yourself about solutions to different scenarios also helps create a safe environment to drive in. Awareness is one of the most essential qualities to have in life. All in all, using the resources available to you and knowing the importance of safe driving can make all the difference between having accidents and having a safe community. My mother always says, “Buckle up and watch for deer!”.
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