In the Driver’s Seat

Shawon Akter

10/28/2020

In the Driver’s Seat

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths of driving is by having more knowledge, the better you can recognize dangerous driving situations and avoid them, potentially saving yourself and others from a serious accident. Teens taking driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or to receive a traffic violation because they know what the rules and regulations are and can abide by the law. Teen car crashes are the highest between the ages of 16-18, so being more educated on this matter will be more helpful for them. Taking lessons will help you become more comfortable and confident on the road. It will allow you to act on instinct faster when you see yourself getting into a risky situation. Learning all the road signs and how to approach any kind of situation you might come across on the road will make you feel more safe driving and therefore you will not feel afraid.

The steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is not texting while driving. Doing this increases your chances of getting into an accident because your focus and attention is not on the road. Getting as much supervised practice driving as possible is also more helpful because it helps build your confidence up. Wearing a seatbelt can practically save your life. For example, two years ago my brother in law got into a fatal car accident, and the doctor basically said that wearing the seatbelt has saved his life. Doing this it allows you to stay firm on your seat, and not have you flying off from the windshield. Not drinking while driving or being intoxicated by drugs is also a way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. If you are going to a party and going to be drinking, I would suggest calling an uber or have someone in the friend group be a designated driver who is not going to be drinking. You can take steps and precautions to make sure that you and others can get home safely.

I am super grateful that I have never personally experienced any car accidents. But I have friends and family who has gotten into terrible accidents that has changed my perspectives. My brother got into an accident 3 years ago that really shook up my world. We got a call saying that he was in the hospital and was in critical conditions. In that moment of time it felt as if I froze, I could only think that the worst has happened to him. Thank god that he is okay. Now every time that I get in a car, I make sure to have my seatbelt on and be mindful of my surroundings.

The steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road is to obey the traffic laws. It is important to be a mindful driver, and to follow the signs on the road. Avoid all kinds of distractions, which includes texting and driving. Many cars these days has a blue tooth where you can connect your phone to your car, so in case of an emergency you can at least talk to that person. You can also put your phone on “do not disturb.” This setting mutes all your notifications, and you can set it up to let the person know that you are driving and cannot use your phone right now. Lastly, driving well rested and steering clear from alcohol and drugs will prevent you from getting into an accident. Consuming drugs and alcohol messes with your judgement. Alcohol can slow reflexes, which can decrease the ability to react swiftly to changing situations and can also result into having a blurred vision.