You Have the Power to Save Lives!

Drivers ed Initiative Award – Summer 2019

Name: Trisha R Deonarain
From: Schenectady, NY
Votes: 51

You
Have the Power to Save Lives!

Do
you remember the rush of excitement you felt as you finally received
your permit? The adrenaline that pumped through your veins as you
drove for the first time with your new license? For many people,
driving is a fun and exciting experience especially when you are a
new driver. Although, sometimes the excitement can be blinding and
can cause new drivers to overlook how dangerous driving can actually
be. New drivers are not the only ones that overlook these dangers,
many people that see driving as an everyday task are also prone to
forgetting these threats. It is important that drivers take the time
to remember the importance of educated driving because it enables
drivers to save the lives of everyone around them as well as their
own lives.

Driver
education is the knowledge of how to drive a vehicle and the risk
factors that go along with driving. According to dmvedu.org, around
34,000 people die a year in highway fatalities. By maintaining a
strong understanding of how to stay safe on the road in multiple
scenarios it can help decrease that number greatly, which means just
by learning about and following the road safety rules you can save so
many lives! For instance, if you have consumed alcohol stay away from
the driver’s seat. I have seen people under the influence of
alcohol in the passenger seat of a car reaching for the steering
wheel which is also a very dangerous situation (not to mention
terrifying for everyone else in the vehicle). Another way one could
avoid fatalities is by checking to make sure that their brakes are
working and their seatbelt is on, and that their mirrors are set.
Many people tend to overlook these steps but double-checking the
functions of a car is an important part of staying safe.

Unsafe
driving patterns and car crashes are horrifying. I have been in a
minor car crash, thankfully everyone was mostly okay. My younger
sister and I were in elementary school at the time and on the way to
school when a man hit my dad’s car from behind. He admitted he was
not paying attention to the road. It was not a big hit so our car
only had a small dent and a few scratches. My sister, however, hurt
her back and was in pain for a week and both my sister and I remember
clearly how afraid we were at the time.

The
experiences I’ve shared above have helped me to understand that the
risks are real. Being an educated driver can help to save so many
lives and so many families. Staying focused on the road, taking care
of checking up on our vehicles, understanding how to drive in certain
weather conditions, putting our phones down and staying away from the
wheel while intoxicated are all important factors. By teaching others
and staying educated ourselves, we can make the roads safer. After
all, we are the ones behind the wheel.