Urgency of Drivers Ed

Urgency of Drivers ed

From
a very personal experience, I understand the importance of safe
driving. On April 25, 2019, at the young, innocent, fresh in the
driver’s seat age of sixteen, I completely totaled a two-thousand and
six gray Ford Fusion that had been passed down through three drivers
to me. There is no way to put into words the fear and terror felt
being alone upside down in a vehicle. While being taught the proper
speed to go and correct approach to a railroad crossing is, in fact,
important to driving, there is a crucial urgency that should be had
to ensure the safety of drivers on roadways.

On
what was such a beautiful day that seemed entirely perfect, in one
single instant, the snap of fingers, my world was changed forever. It
not only affected me though, it was even tougher on my family. The
possibility is hard to fathom that just because I looked off for a
few seconds, my car could be flipped in a ditch upside down from
where I hit a tree and tipped back over. I still beat myself up over
that day, that moment. If I would have just kept my eyes on the road
I could’ve been playing the third round of playoffs with my team. If
I would have just kept focused my parents would not have to pay huge
medical bills for my one mistake of a moment. My arm would not be
scarred up with a metal plate and six screws in it if it weren’t for
my irresponsibility of attention on the road. However my
circumstances could’ve been much worse, some are not as blessed as I
am and instead of parents paying medical bills, they have to pay
funeral costs.

One-click
of a seatbelt is the difference in surviving what could be a fatal
accident and not. Statistics show that one person dies every twelve
minutes on the road. Being aware of this, a driver now knows that
being a careful driver can help beat the statistics of driver
fatalities. The benefit of drivers ed results in better
awareness and understanding of driving and the capabilities of the
vehicles. It teaches the ability and limitations that young drivers
have.

A
few simple steps that can be taken to reduce driving mishaps are;
paying attention to the roads and surroundings, vehicle awareness of
other vehicles, wearing a seatbelt, and not being distracted by
social media or any other distractions such as the radio, food, or
even passengers. Driving safety is not taken as seriously as it needs
to be or stressed aggressively enough. What this means is that the
student drivers aren’t listening and the instructors are not
enforcing aggressively enough. Seeing these simple steps being made,
we would be able to see a drastic change in the death rates of
driving.

If
I could leave anyone with any words of advice, it would be to focus
on the road. That is the difference in life and death. Whatever we
think is more important while we are driving, it most definitely is
not more important than one’s life. That Snapchat can wait, and that
radio can be adjusted at a red light. Drivers ed is not just a
class that must be passed in order to graduate, it is a vital course
full of life lessons that will not only be benefited from now but the
rest of one’s driving career.