Staying Safe on the Road

Staying Safe on the Road

Picture this: you’re in the car, laughing and having a good time with friends when suddenly, you aren’t. Suddenly, the jokes you were previously telling doesn’t mean a thing, because you weren’t paying attention, and now you’ve gotten into an accident. Scary, huh?

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye, and there is absolutely nothing to do about it. Except for doing your part to make sure you’re following the rules of the road and staying safe while driving.

Driving as a teenager is terrifying, nobody takes you seriously, and everyone expects you to mess up, or drive recklessly. We’re teenagers, that’s what we do, right? Wrong. Teenagers who know driving education through and through are going to be the safest on the road. When they read and really digest driving education, they will be more likely to follow the rules while on the road, resulting in less accidents, and therefore less deaths.

So, what can you do to decrease your chances of accidents occurring? The best advice is to be sure that before you even enter your driver seat, you are properly rested, you are completely sober, and relaxed. Driving under stress or in exhaustion can be just as bad as driving under the influence, as you can’t properly focus on the road ahead of you.

Another piece of advice I can offer is what I do, and everyone can do too on a day-to-day basis. I always make sure that I know the rules of the road. Sometimes I observe others on the road, and wonder if that’s what I need to do, so often when I get home, I look it up. Just the other day, I looked up the rule about turning and if moving into the outside lane was illegal, seeing as it’s a common practice. As a matter of fact, it is indeed illegal, and I don’t do that, to do my part in staying safe.

Driving irresponsibly is a serious thing to do, and it brings nothing but bad consequences. For example, I have a friend who has been in two accidents, and has had recurring injuries both times. She didn’t get hurt long term, but it could’ve been close. While I haven’t had my license as long as her, there are notes that I can take to better my own driving, so I don’t have to go through the same experiences. Leaving my phone in my purse while driving helps me to not get distracted, and not worry about what’s happening in the social media world.

Things can get scary while driving, especially when we’re so young and inexperienced, but as we grow older, and gain the knowledge- whether it be through observation of our peers, or through our own experiences- we can come to grasp the importance of driving education, and learn how what we do matters. No matter how small we think our actions are, they really do make an impact, and even more so when on the road. People pay attention, and it’s important to remember that. Stay safe!