Please Be Safe

Even people you love may engage in risky behavior without thinking about the consequences. Earlier this year, my dad started sending video messages to my sister and me from his car. I was fine with this until I realized that the background was moving, which meant he was actively driving and doing a video message. I was shocked that he would do this, and terrified for his safety. I texted him and ask him not to do it anymore. I did not want one of those videos to end up with him in a wreck, where he or someone else could be injured or even worse, dead. According to the CDC, the US had 2,800 deaths in 2018 as a result of distracted driving, and 400,000 more people were injured because of a distracted driver. I did not want my dad to be one of those statistics. Distracted driving is only one of many causes that can lead to accidents, but with education and precautions, many of these accidents can be avoided.

While only 32 states require a driver’s education course, it can prepare you for many things you will encounter on the road. When you know what to look for, it will make you more alert to what is going on around you. A nice bonus of taking this course is that it may lower your insurance premiums. One of the worst things in life is feeling as if you are the only one who is doing something. A driver’s education class can ease this feeling because you know others who are working on being a safe driver too.

There are some simple things you can do to be a safer driver. One is making sure that you have taken care of anything important before backing out of your driveway. This includes setting up any music or podcasts you might want to listen to, setting up your GPS, or texting your friend that you are coming. If something cannot wait, pull over to the side of the road, or better yet a nearby parking lot. Make sure you are taking care of yourself by getting enough sleep at night. For adults, even missing one or two hours of sleep doubles crash risk according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study. Teens need even more sleep than adults which makes missing sleep an especially high risk. Never rush to get to an activity, it is better to be late than to engage in risky driving behaviors. If you are really upset or angry, wait until you have calmed down to drive. It is easy to get distracted with your own thoughts when you are really emotional, which means you may miss something on the road.

I often tend to think the decisions that I make only affect me. But, as I learned from my dad, the people around me are affected by my decisions. Every time you step behind the wheel, you are responsible for not only your life but also the lives of others. This is why education is so important. We must learn so that we can drive better, and if we do that, we may save someone’s life.