More Educated Drivers Equals Safer Roads

When I think back to when I was around 15 years old, I remember how much I wanted to learn to drive. I knew the first step to obtaining my license in Florida was to take the driving education course and then get a learners’ permit and keep it for one year without any tickets. I quickly learned the importance of driving education courses when it came to reducing the number of deaths because there are many things you can take away from the course that would ultimately result in fewer accidents and deaths.

The first ever car accident I experienced was when my mom was driving when I was around 12 years old. We were on the way to one of my soccer games. I wanted to show mom something I thought was interesting, so at the red light I decided to show her and when I showed her, it distracted her from the road, and she took her foot off the brake which caused us to hit the car in front of us. The car in front of us was a Jeep and the spare tire absorbed the hit but damaged my mom’s car so much in front that we had to sell it. This car accident felt like it was my fault because I caused my mom to become distracted. This incident turned into a valuable lesson. I realized how important it is to stay 100% focused when driving and if someone wants to show you something, you should wait until you are parked.

Before I got my driver’s license, I had a friend that already got his and he got into a pretty bad car accident, so this was one of the reasons I became nervous to actually start driving on the road. However, he gave me some tips and he told me you’ll be alright and that you just can’t get distracted and make sure you drive responsibly. This changed my perspective on driving because it made me realize that if I take the driving course and be careful, I should be fine, and it should reduce my chances of getting into accidents on the road.

When driving, there are many ways to ensure you are taking care of yourself and others while on the road. Defensive driving strategies are an important part of how drivers can create a safer driving environment. Due to the fact that there are many people on the road, it’s crucial that you drive in a manner that is careful and where you have the ability to anticipate what the surrounding cars may do. This will make you better prepared for the more unexpected and sudden movements, like someone cutting you off. The defensive driving strategies will ultimately help you stay relaxed when situations like this happen because you’ll always be prepared for people around you to do these things and when they do it won’t bother you as much. If we have new drivers learn the importance of driving defensively, we can reduce the number of drivers always cutting others off and driving recklessly.

Considering the number of accidents that occur because of distracted driving it’s important that steps to reduce this are discussed. Some ways to reduce this include adjusting the volume of the radio, no talking/texting on the phone, and no eating while driving. These things are simple but although they are small things each one distracts you a little, taking your complete and total attention off the road. You should leave the radio on a lower volume setting so that you can hear what’s going on around you like people honking their horns. If you need to call someone or text, you should either use the hand-free options or if you don’t have them pullover to use your phone. Eating food while driving distracts you from the road when you go to take a bite. If you are hungry just pull over and finish your meal because the quick 2 seconds for the bite is all it takes for you to make a mistake and cause an accident. These are just some ways for people to reduce the amount of distracted driving that happens.

In final consideration, the continued use and implementation of driving education courses are crucial to reducing the number of deaths that occur on the roads. It’s very important that no matter what every individual interested in obtaining their driver’s license should take a driving education course. This course provides the individuals with more knowledge of the rules of the road and skills that can help create safer drivers and a more positive driving experience on the road for all.