Educated Drivers. Safe Roads.

Matthew Hammes

Educated Drivers. Safe Roads.

It is just a normal summer day, birds are chirping, kids are playing, but then something catches your eye and instantly makes you worried that you are standing too close to the street. You grab the children and bring them safely inside. That’s when you see a minivan with a yellow triangle on the roof that says, “STUDENT DRIVER,” zig zagging down the road. After seeing this you know that summer has come and so has the fresh waiver of fourteen-year old’s fresh from the driver’s education program.

During the driver’s education program young teens receive some of their first lessons on what it means to be a safe driver. They are taught many things such as parallel parking and how to make U-turns, but the three most important things they learn are basic car functions, traffic laws, and why seat belts are important. Without these three simple things the roads become a very dangerous place for anyone to be.

The first thing any driver should know are the basic functions of your car such as the hazards and other technical aspects. A driver should know where their hazards are in case, they come upon an accident while on the road and need to be able to warn other drivers to slow down. They should also be able to know the basic components that are under the hood of their car. These components include the battery, which is what powers all the electrical in your car, the radiator which cools the engine, and finally knowing how to check all the fluids on your car. These three components should be taught to all drivers so they can help other drivers with car problems, and so if their own car breaks down, they have a basic idea on how to identify the problem or fix it themselves if able.

The next thing all drivers should be well educated on is traffic laws. This one is common sense because if you do not know the laws you will be breaking them left and right and causing a hazardous environment for other drivers and pedestrians. You need to know how to change lanes, speed limits, and when you can pass other cars, etc. If you do not know these laws, you could potentially end someone’s life due to your carelessness.

Finally, the third thing that should be deeply embedded in your brain is, when you get in your vehicle make sure everyone, including yourself, is buckled up. I myself thought this rule could be skipped until one day I learned the effects of not being buckled in. I was driving into town with my brother when we hit some ice and started to slide into the ditch. We then rolled the pickup and were both partially ejected out of the windows. He ended up in the hospital for a month and I got stitches. We are both ok today due to sheer luck, and let me be the first to tell you, the two seconds it takes to buckle up is a lot easier than the time it takes to recover from a wreck. If you are lucky enough to survive.

In conclusion educated drivers result in safer roads. When drivers are educated on their basic car functions, laws of the road, and why everyone needs a seat belt, the roads become a safer place due to the fact that everyone is more alert. When drivers are alert to everything going on around them and being able to help others if needed, the roads are as safe as they can be. Always remember that the two seconds to buckle up will save a life, this is why the police have a saying “click it, or ticket.”