A Split Second Decision

A Split Second Decision

Driver education plays a very important role in reducing the death rates in relation to driving in many ways. Through classes they teach the rights and wrongs yes, but that does not always work, especially with those at a teen age. The part that makes them the most useful is the videos that show the accidents, deaths and consequences of what will happen if you are not careful when driving (ie: jail and fines). This helps students understand better to help make sure that does not happen to them. The easiest way to prevent a tragedy like death while driving is to pay attention to the road. It seems like a small thing to do however, so many drivers forget that main role of driving. Nowadays so many drivers are distracted by their phones, tempting surroundings, and the slight commotion around them. This makes them less focused on the road and more focused on the distractions, which in turn, cause fender benders, collisions and death. I, myself have been a victim of a driver with a lack of attention to the road, even for a split second. One minute I was stopping at a red light and the car behind me was too focused on their family in the car that they did not realize there was a red light and I was stopped. They slammed into the back of my car that held me and my best friend and pushed us into the intersection. Neither of us were injured severely, but it did leave us both terrified at 16 to drive on the road again because it made us wonder, how safe are we out here, and made us wonder if it would happen to us again, but only worse. It also made us stop and think, if we drive safely and make sure we pay attention to everything and everyone around us, it still doesn’t matter, we can still get hurt. It took us both a while to get back to driving after that, but it also made us both more cautious drivers. I make sure to always watch by keeping my eyes forward, leaving a car length between me and the car in front of me, and making sure I have no reason to be distracted.These steps I have taken helped me become an even safer driver to not only help protect those around me while driving, but myself too. When I am the passenger in a car I make sure to keep all distractions away from the driver. Music change? I got it. Need to text or call? I got it. I’m trying my hardest to help keep others safe and to make sure what happened to me and my best friend at 16, does not happen to anyone else. Everyone deserves to be safe and get to wherever they are going without incident or fear because of a reckless driver distracted by something on the side of the road or a text message.