Steps to Driving Safer

Driver education can teach people how to drive so that they will be best prepared for any situation. Better and more widespread driver education would reduce the number of accidents because people would cause fewer problems, and more people would be able to react better when a problem does occur. We can reduce the number of deaths related to driving by implementing more driver education courses in schools and by requiring some sort of driving school before being able to take a license test. This way, people learn the rules of the road and get comfortable driving before they take their driver’s test. On the road, there are some things a person can do to drive safer. These steps are to be aware of speed, not drive while too tired or under the influence, and drive defensively yet decisively.

I have been in a car with people who have driven recklessly. My friends speed often and do not think it is a big deal. However, once while someone I was driving with was speeding he could not take a turn because of how fast he was going. We drove off the road and almost hit a pole. Fortunately, no one was injured, and we did not hit anything, but when people drive like that, you do not know what could happen, and many have ended up in much worse situations than mine. Speeding is one of the most common and, in my opinion, one of the most dangerous driving offenses, yet most people get away with it. For people to drive more safely, they need to drive slower. It increases the time you have to react, allows you to slow down quicker, and gives you more control over the car. If more people would drive the speed limit, this would reduce the number of accidents significantly.

One of the most important parts of driving is being aware of your surroundings and being alert so that you can react to whatever happens quickly and safely. When something prevents you from being alert, it is harder to stay safe while on the road. Driving too tired and driving under the influence both reduce how fast you can think, can lower your awareness, and lower your reaction time. Driving while under the influence especially is dangerous because your brain is incredibly compromised and you can make very bad decisions, drive more recklessly, and take more risks. You could even become a more aggressive driver on the road which is dangerous to others. Driving while tired is also dangerous because your reaction time and thought process are slowed down, and your eyes are tired as well which may make you want to close them, which is extremely dangerous. The rest of your body will also be tired, which will make you sluggish and slow down your reaction time. It is extremely important to be alert while driving so inhibiting that in any way is incredibly dangerous.

Being decisive on the road reduces confusion and makes everything go a lot smoother. I often have trouble being decisive with some of my actions and hesitate, which confuses other drivers. Being more decisive makes it easier for others to know what to do and reduces the risk of accidents. However, you also have to drive defensively. Assuming that everyone on the road will do what’s right, like waiting for their turn to go or using their turn signal, can cause accidents as well. Those accidents would not be your fault, however, to prevent them, you must always be ready in case someone does something unexpected. This is called defensive driving. There has to be a good balance between defensive and decisive driving or else an accident is far more likely to happen. I believe that I drive too defensively and not decisively enough. I will wait too long to take a turn because I don’t make a decision quickly enough, and when I know I have the right of way, I feel the need sometimes to let the other person pass. I usually don’t let them go first but sometimes I’ll hesitate enough so that they think I’m letting them go, and then when I go it just causes problems. I think this step is the one I need to work on the most to become a safer driver and to make the roads a safer place.

All in all, driver education is incredibly important to making a safer world on the road. People should strive to drive the speed limit, to be aware and alert while driving, and to drive defensively yet decisively. With these steps, the number of accidents will be reduced significantly.