| When I was in the third grade, I can still | | | | have become sloppy with our driving. |
| remember taking a class trip to go to a place | | | | Earlier today, I had a dentist appointment, and as |
| called "Safety-town" on Long Island. Years later, I | | | | I was preparing to turn out of the parking lot into |
| would come to recognize Safety-town as being a | | | | traffic, I noticed that there was someone who |
| special reserved section of Eisenhower state park, | | | | had pulled up behind me in the parking lot. Instead |
| a park that I often passed by car when I was | | | | of leaving a little room between the two of us, |
| going to the mall or to run errands. Safety-town | | | | the motorist's front bumper was practically |
| was where my classmates and I first learned | | | | touching my back bumper, and I couldn't help but |
| about cars and pedestrians and the rules that | | | | wonder what would happen if my car was a |
| governed each of them. We learned about things | | | | manual shift car and as I prepared to accelerate, I |
| such as the importance of wearing a bicycle | | | | rolled back a little and hit them. As soon as I |
| helmet, riding on the sidewalk versus riding in the | | | | turned into traffic, within seconds someone who |
| street with the flow of traffic as well as what the | | | | was a mile or so behind me had sped up and was |
| different traffic signs and symbols meant. The | | | | riding my back bumper for the next two miles. I |
| entire park was set up to look like a mini town | | | | looked at my speedometer to see if I was doing |
| (perfect for kids who were our age), and they | | | | something wrong that this person was so close to |
| provided us with bicycles, helmets and mini | | | | my vehicle. However, when I looked down at the |
| motorized cars to drive around in so that we | | | | speedometer, I saw that I was actually already |
| could learn all about traffic safety. | | | | doing ten miles over the posted speed limit. So, |
| Years later, I wonder how many adult motorists | | | | instead, I slowed down by five miles per hour, |
| learned about the importance of driving safety | | | | and eventually the impatient person behind me |
| because it seems as if every time I look around, | | | | went around and shortly after wards, wound up |
| I am witnessing someone else getting into a car | | | | cutting someone off almost causing an accident. |
| accident! Most of the time (from what I have | | | | When we get behind the wheel of a car, we |
| actually been able to see), these accidents are all | | | | really need to remember that driving is a privilege- |
| preventable and are caused simply because the | | | | not a right. We need to be more cautious when |
| person who is driving is not paying attention. The | | | | we drive and keep a lookout for angered drivers |
| last two accidents I witnessed were due to the | | | | or those who are experiencing road rage so that |
| fact that the secondary drivers were following | | | | we can steer clear. Nothing is more important |
| the vehicles in front of them too closely. It is | | | | than our own safety as well as the safety of |
| almost a shame to say that we, as a society, | | | | others. |