Better Late Than Dead

Drivers ed Initiative Award – Summer 2019

Name: Sophie Smiley
From: York, SC
Votes: 108

In my driving experience, the phrase, “better late than dead” was
proven true again and again. Before I even hit the road, this concept
was introduced in a class I took, Alive at 25, where horrifying
realities regarding driving were taught in order to help new drivers
to better understand the true consequences and responsibilities of
being on the road and operating a vehicle. Despite this class and my
practice driving, I crashed my car one morning before school, which
has then since helped me realize more ways to help reduce the number
of deaths related to driving and how to encourage others to be a safe
driver, as well as how to be one myself.

The
importance of drivers ed in reducing the number of deaths as a
result of driving is very crucial since driving education
significantly decreases the number of accidents and traffic
violations among new drivers, and therefore, reduces the number of
fatalities. Additionally, in an examination taken of 500 voluntary
and 500 court-ordered Alive at 25 graduates, 89 percent of the
respondents designated that they thought they would be a safer driver
as an outcome of taking the class and 92 percent responded that they
considered that the class helped them to improve their driving
expertise and skills.

Although,
for the most part, I have never seen my friends or family members
driving irresponsibly, I have been the irresponsible driver.
Unfortunately, this led me to experience a car accident, my first and
only (so far). On the way to school (10 minutes late already), I was
half studying Spanish vocab on my phone and half falling to sleep
from a too-late-night before, when I ran into a tree on the outskirts
of my driveway. Two of the airbags deployed, and as I stumbled out of
my car, jostled and dizzy, I asked myself how could I have let this
happen; how could I have risked my life, and for what? A quiz grade?
A tardy slip?

For
the next two questions, I’m going to combine them into one; what
steps can be taken to be a better and safer driver, help others
become safer on the road, and reduce the number of deaths related to
driving. To do these three things, step one would have to be to
remember that risking your life is never worth a glance at your
phone; is never worth anything so small or so trivial. Continually,
the second and last step is to share this information with others.
Let others know that not only is your own life at risk, but the lives
of others in the car and on the road. And above all, to remember;
always better late, than dead.