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2024 Driver Education Round 1 – The Necessity of Rules in Driving

Name: Shane Anthony Moroz Jr.
From: Port Deposit, Maryland
Votes: 0

The Necessity of Rules in Driving

To reduce the number of fatalities while driving, emphasis must be put on proper road safety education, also known as Drivers’ education. Drivers’ education can reduce the number of deaths on roadways by teaching new and inexperienced drivers – as well as re-teaching older drivers – how to properly avoid accidents and mishaps. In addition, drivers’ education allows for a smoother, more streamlined driving experience that benefits all, and teaches the basics on how to operate in diverse conditions. Personally, I experienced drivers’ education when I was in High school, which prepared me for the uncertainty of the road and how to maintain composure in stressful situations.

It is crucial to understand that while rules can be made, they won’t always be followed by everyone. People will still speed, they’ll still drive while inebriated, and still be hazards on the road. This is why I believe defensive driving should be added to drivers’ education courses, so that in the case of a hazardous person on the road, the average driver is better equipped to avoid this reckless behavior. In doing this, less fatalities will occur due to the increase of experienced drivers on the road.

Even though drivers’ education is important, there are many more steps required in ensuring less deaths while driving. One of these steps is educating drivers of the dangers in distracted driving. Distracted driving is hazardous for anyone while driving; this being using a phone, talking to a friend, driving while tired, and generally not focusing on the road. This is a major issue due to the delayed reaction time and inattention while driving, possibly allowing the car to drift into the opposite lane, or off the road entirely. Another step is to remind drivers of the consequences in excessively speeding. While going over the speed limit, there is a greater probability that a crash may occur, as it is much more difficult to regain control of a car that 100 MPH compared to one going 50.

Unfortunately, even with all these rules and regulations that we currently have, people will be unsafe when driving. Perhaps someone didn’t get enough sleep that day, or they were wronged is some way. They are driving different due to how they’re feeling – less safe – because of their emotions. I’ve personally experienced unsafe driving first-hand with both friends and family. I’ve been in a few car accidents in my life, and both were terrifying. I was young and attending school, when my aunt slid on ice and nearly went over the bridge into the water below. She was going way too fast in snowy, icy conditions that endangered me and my friend while going to school. Going too fast on the ice is a common theme in my dangerous driving experiences, as it happened again a few years later, with one of my friends driving. I was sitting in the passengers’ seat when he turned around a bend in the road, once again going too fast in rough conditions. We tumble and keep tumbling until we are eventually stopped by a tree.

By some miracle we were both unharmed, save for a few bumps and bruises. We were extremely lucky that day, and I wish to never experience it again nor be the reason someone experiences something similar. That is why I’ve been doing my part in keeping the roads safe by following the road laws and signs that warn me of dangers around me. I can however be a safer driver by slowing down when the roads don’t favor drivers, and not have my friends distract me while I’m driving. I also need to get more sleep, as I’ve been busy with work; drowsy driving is a dangerous and something I need to correct immediately. I can also encourage my friends and family to slow down by telling them of the hardships I went through when both being a passenger and a driver.

With all this information presented, I believe that to lessen the deaths of people while driving, drivers’ education should be a class that is taught with more depth to new and inexperienced drivers while also reminding experienced drivers of rules they may have forgotten. The addition of defensive driving in drivers’ education courses can also assist in this endeavor. To lessen deaths in general, more precedence must be placed on stopping distractions while driving so that the driver can focus on the road and the obstacles on it. Showing the dangers of speeding may also encourage more people to drive safely, instead of having a lead foot and endangering them and others on the road.