Being a Defensive Driver to Protect Yourself and Others on the Road

Being a Defensive Driver to Protect Yourself and Others on the Road

By Andrea Duncan

A few years ago, I left my house on the way to a wedding for one of my friends at school and was stopped under a bridge with a yield sign waiting for traffic to pass so I could merge onto the service road. I was turned to my left watching the cars nearing me and before I knew it, I was slammed forward and then back into my seat and my little Prius was pushed forward about fifty feet. I was in shock to the point that I was shaking and felt like I could not catch my breath. When I was finally able to wrap my head around what had happened, I got out of my car and saw a big white truck with a grate on the front of it sitting behind me. I walked around the back of my car to see my back bumper was still intact and there was just a slight crack where it separated from the impact and had a black scuff from the grate. While my car was barely affected, I on the other hand was in a lot of pain and completely stunned. I later found out that he rear ended me because his phone rang, so he glanced down to see who was calling and was going too fast to slow down before hitting me. Ever since that day, I have known what it is like to be affected by someone who does not drive responsibly. 

While my experience of being in a car accident did not result in a death on either side, it was still scary and could have been prevented. According to AAA, drivers ed is linked to a lower rate of car accidents by 4.3 percent. In a study done by the University of Nebraska, 2.1 percent of drivers that were in a drivers ed program were in an accident that involved injury or death while those who did not participate in a program were in 2.6 percent fatal accidents. While drivers ed classes have not made a large difference in the prevention of accidents that lead to death, they are still being improved to hopefully one day make a larger impact. 

To help reduce the amount of deaths related to driving, those who are behind the wheel should take part in a drivers ed program and be a defensive driver. While I took drivers ed before receiving my license, I am not perfect when it comes to driving on the road. I can a better example to those around me by, be a more proactive defensive driver to better protect myself and others on the road. Leading by example and having conversations with those I care about how to be a defensive driver is the best way for me to help others be safer on the road.

https://newsroom.aaa.com/tag/drivers-ed/

https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/unltoday/article/study-driver-s-ed-significantly-reduces-teen-crashes-tickets/