Driver Education – Ava Trevino

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving begins with driving instruction. Driver education provides a good overview of different traffic situations, the meaning of street signs, road safety, vehicle speed, and tactics a driver can take to minimize the likelihood of getting into an accident. Driver education also prepares you on what to do if you are ever in an accident. Driver education helps you learn how to spot aggressive drivers on the road, avoid crashes and when to pull off the road. You are taught how to drive in all types of weather—rain, snow, and icy conditions. The emphasis at all times is on safety and not being an aggressor on the streets. As I recall, I remember hearing that drivers who took a driver education course were less likely to get traffic tickets and less likely to cause an accident which are good reasons to receive the education.

There are many steps I can take to reduce the number of injuries or deaths related to driving. For example, I can avoid distractions such as texting or dialing a telephone number while driving. I can observe road speed signs and stay within defined speed limits. I can make sure everyone in the vehicle with me is wearing their seatbelt. I can avoid drinking and driving or allowing someone else to drink and get behind the wheel. I can avoid tale gating the vehicle in front of me and making sure I use my turn signals when changing lanes. I can pay attention to road signs while keeping my eyes on other drivers around me. I can periodically get my tire pressure and breaks inspected to ensure they are working properly.

Yes, I have first-hand experience being in an accident. I pulled into a local fast-food hamburger restaurant drive-through lane to grab a bite to eat. After placing my food order, I moved forward slowly behind the customers ahead of me. There came a point where the line stopped for about 2-3 minutes and everything seemed normal. Then out of nowhere, I felt my car jolt and I heard a loud thump. At first, I thought something was wrong with my engine but as I looked in my rearview mirror, I noticed the vehicle that had been safely behind me was now touching my rear bumper and I could no longer see the hood of her vehicle. After taking off my seatbelt, I safely exited my vehicle and went to speak with the driver of the vehicle that hit me. She proceeded to apologize and told me that she got distracted while on her phone and didn’t realize that she had taken her foot off her break caused her vehicle to move forward and hit my rear bumper.

There are many important steps I can take to become a better and safer driver. I can avoid obvious distractions while I am driving my vehicle. Distractions include texting while driving, playing loud music to the point where I can’t hear what is happening outside of my vehicle, or becoming too focused on friends joking around in the backseat of my car. Recognizing the types of adjustments, I need to make as road hazard conditions change during the day or night. Keeping my hands on the wheel in the proper positions. I can make sure that I am maintaining a safe distance behind vehicles in front of me. I can make sure that my side mirrors and rearview mirror are properly adjusted before I begin to drive my vehicle. As I am changing lanes to pass or to turn, I can make sure that I try to anticipate other drivers’ intentions. I can make sure if I’m driving long distances that I find a rest area where I can stretch and take a short break. I have noticed that traffic especially on highways is getting more congested. Realizing this, I can make sure that I am paying close attention to when and how I merge into different lanes. Though I don’t have to reverse too often, there will come a time when I will find myself in a situation that requires me to reverse farther than usual. It’s much better to go into this scenario confident, so practicing reversing my vehicle will help me be a better driver. Knowing my route is key. I need to make sure I know where I am going before I begin to drive the car. If I happen to have a passenger, I can put them to work as my co-pilot versus me trying to figure out where I need to go while I am driving. Lastly, no matter how hard it might be to control yourself, I will not go out of my way to distract another driver, especially with bad intentions. That means no brake-checking, no rear-riding, or excessive honking. I need to keep calm and proceed to my route.