Go Slow or Go Six Feet Below

Imagine you are a teenager who just passed their driving test and finally got your license. You spent months of hard work to achieve this goal. You call your best friend to tell them the news as you go for your first independent drive. As you travel along the curvy road, you play the radio loud, continue to talk to your friend. You are feeling so confident that you take one hand off the wheel and look around at the billboards passing. Boom! All of the sudden you find yourself struggling to breathe and unable to move. You blackout and when you wake up, you are surrounded by unfamiliar faces in a blinding white room. The doctors and nurses are unsure what else they could do to help you. You might not make it. Let’s rewind our tale and see some things that could be changed to be a safe, and educated driver; not just for yourself but for everyone else on the road. The person should have completed their call to their friend while the vehicle was not in motion, and the radio should have been kept to a volume that would not be distracting. The driver should have kept two hands on the wheel at all times. Billboards are often bright and interesting, but when you are driving, looking at billboards is dangerous as they require you to take your eyes off the road. Taking such steps can be used in taking steps towards being safer on the road, not just for oneself but for everybody else on the road.

Statistically, it has been proven that teenagers who go through a structured driver’s education program are less likely to be involved in car accidents. These teens tend to score higher on the driving exams and have a long-lasting knowledge of the road and its complex systems. One example of this can be seen through the skill of anticipating another driver’s moves and intentions. Being able to determine if someone will cut you off, change lanes, turn or exit the road is important to know, especially if they do not use turn signals. This anticipation will allow you to make the proper decisions to avoid collisions. People who have gone through a Driver’s education program are able to position themselves on the road better, maintain good habits, see the traffic better, and are overall safer drivers. Taking such precautions is imperative in reducing fatalities during automobile crashes.

While I have not been in any accidents since I began driving, I have been involved in several car accidents. When I was approximately 6 I was involved in an accident that, had my sister been in the car, she would have died. There was a lady who was driving without insurance and totaled my mother’s car as we were coming home from a girl scouting event. She crashed into the passenger side of the car. We spun 6 times and ended up facing the opposite direction, towards oncoming traffic in the center turn lane. My sister had been grounded so she did not go to the event; if she had the lady’s car crashed right into where she would have been sitting. SInce that time I have not been involved in any other accidents. However, when driving with my sister, I have observed her many unsafe habits. My sister tends to speed, forget her turn signals and will often bite her fingernails,causing her to drive one handed. I have mentioned her many unsafe habits to her, but she continues to do so. Because she refuses to correct her habits, I don’t feel safe or comfortable driving with her. I used her bad habits as examples of what not to do when I drive.