Safe Driving

It is widely known that driver education is needed to be on the road. Many students in driver’s ed do not take what is being taught to them seriously. They simply want to go and start their cars as quickly as they can. While teaching about different signs and turn signals it’s also vital to teach about the number of car accident deaths. Serious injuries should also be included. Without an emphasis on how important it is to drive safely, nobody will take it seriously. I believe that is why there are so many reckless drivers out there. People do not care and feel that they are invincible behind the wheel. When you have those types of people on the roads not only are they putting themselves in danger but also other people. It’s a type of selfishness in a way. People are constantly doing something they are not supposed to do causing them not to consider how others may be affected.

It always starts with the people behind the wheel. If we can consistently teach people to stay focused, follow the law, and be safe the number of deaths related to driving can decrease. I hear all the time of people dosing off while driving because it feels like muscle memory for them. They take the same route to home from work all the time so they feel like they don’t need to be as attentive. Their thought process is they’ve done it a million times so why should they take all that energy when they are going the same way? It’s because you never know. There will always be the new driver who won’t know what to do when switching lanes. The driver speeds too fast. And the one that drives too slow. You never know what can happen on that road so it’s important to stay focused and be safe when driving. Even if it is the same old route you use every day.

Another step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is revoking licenses. There are many instances where people are speeding 20 miles over the speed limit or they are driving while intoxicated. This causes the risk of being in a car accident even greater. But many people are given way too many chances before they are legally not allowed to drive. Do not get me wrong I do believe in second chances. But you push that gas pedal and you know you have been drinking or doing drugs you immediately should get your license revoked for an extended period of time.

Being a teenager all my friends want to do is drive. Everyone has started to get their permits and first cars and I am very excited for them. And I would never think that they would be dumb enough to drive irresponsibly. Time and time again we have been told not to text and drive. It’s something that’s on billboards, TV, and almost everywhere. It’s something I knew before I even started learning to drive. So it came to me by surprise when my friend was driving me home and he started texting his mother. You could tell how distracted he was by the way he was swerving into different lanes as he was typing on his phone. What is crazy to me is how as a society we have created new technology in cars where you can say what you want to type in a car and it will send for you. But people are still constantly texting and driving. It’s almost like they want to be irresponsible. Thankfully we were in a car accident but it could’ve been fatal. In another instance, I actually did get in an accident. The irony was that I wasn’t even on the road I was in a parking lot, which goes to show that driver education should be applied anywhere where cars can go. I was in the passenger seat while my mom was backing out of the parking spot. Out of nowhere a car is speeding down the parking low side and hits our car from the backside. Who speeds in a parking lot? It’s another irresponsible thing that many people do not take seriously.

When I am in the passenger seat I will always make sure that the driver is being responsible and doing things to keep us both safe. When I am in the driver’s seat I will take the steps I need to in order to make it to my destination safely. Using the knowledge I gain from driver’s ed will be most impactful in making sure I don’t end up in a car accident.