Driving: a gift and a curse

Driving has changed the world in every means possible. From it being an efficient way of transport, to it just using it as a method of leisure/hobby. It undoubtedly revolutionized the lives of several that have come into contact with such practice. Despite it being mainly perceived as a great gift, it can also be viewed as the direct opposite. Every year the lives of approximately 1.3 million people are lost as a result of driving. Here is how driver education can play a major role in combating such a substantial threat, to the human population as we know it.

An important aspect of driving, that is just as important as knowing how to drive the car, are the road rules and groundwork that has been laid out prior to behind the wheel experience. As mentioned earlier, such rules are just as equivalent to knowing how to drive the car and its functionality. The reason for most of the accidents on the road are due to the driver’s mistake rather than it being the actual car’s functionality fault. Drivers who go over the speed limit, drive under the influence, or just drive rashly/aggressively in general are the ones who tend to get into life threatening accidents. With such data it is evident that drivers education is a prominent step to start the drivers journey. Without completing such a course, one is bound to get into some sort of accident or trouble on the road due to not knowing all the rules. This is why driver education is really important, it can be the difference between life and death. It is one of the key factors as to why driver education is really important. Another step that can be taken that regards reducing the number of deaths related to driving, is having a personal driving instructor. Having a driving instructor can really make the behind the wheel learning experience much more comfortable and beneficial. Learning the functionality of the car, can also significantly reduce the number of incidents that occur while driving. Actions such as keeping an extra tire in the trunk, having a tire chain (for different terrains), and not turning the air conditioner on when starting the car, are all simple but efficient ways of having a safe ride.

I do have a prior experience of being in a car accident, which occurred 6 years ago in April of 2017. This was one of the scariest days in my family’s life. Just minutes before the accident had occurred, we had coincidentally got pulled over. This was because my mom had been a student driver at the time despite still having her license, and made the mistake of not giving a cop the right of way at the time. This had resulted in us getting pulled over, and the cop giving my mom a hard talk about the mistake she had made. My brother and I had already been dumbfounded by the encounter with the cop, but little did we know it was only going to get crazier. My mom didn’t think much of it and just drove away after that had happened. We were on our way to a friend’s house, when suddenly the car got hit from the right side. In that second I went completely blank. When I had gotten up I had seen my brother to the right of me just staring out the window. Then I checked the driver seat to check if my mom was there, and to ask her what had just happened. When I looked she wasn’t there, so I had started panicking. But then my brother told me she was outside talking to the people who had hit their car into ours. I was in utter disbelief at the moment, as it was the first time I had ever actually gotten into an accident. To this day I thank God that we all made it out safely with no injuries whatsoever. The car however, was completely totaled and ruined. That was a really sad moment for us, this is due to how much that car meant to us. Some steps that can be taken to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road is being patient and humble on the road. Being a patient driver itself can make a significant difference on the road, as most are quite the opposite. It really takes one person to make a difference, that’s a virtue that applies to really anything in life and not only driving.