Name: Gracie Keener
From: Steubenville, OH
Votes: 10
In The Driver’s Seat Essay
Being a safe driver is severely crucial because as you drive you will make many important choices and decisions as you drive and those said choices and decisions will have drastic consequences if you aren’t a safe driver. As long as you are a safe driver you will also have many benefits. Some of the benefits of being a safe driver are that you can help reduce the number and risk of accidents, you can earn lower car insurance rates, you can qualify for accident forgiveness, you can reduce vehicle wear and tear and lower fuel costs, and you can also avoid tickets. The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is because teens who take driver’s ed or driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or receive traffic violations within their first two years of driving because teen crashes and fatality rates are highest within the age range of sixteen to eighteen. There are many ways that you can help reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Some of the ways to reduce them are to obey the traffic laws, be predictable when you are driving, avoid distractions, drive rested, and steer clear of drugs and alcohol. While I haven’t been in a car accident, I have seen my friends and family drive irresponsibly. I have seen my mom text while she is driving and also eat while she is driving which makes it hard to pay attention to the road. I have seen my step-dad text while he is driving which can make it hard to pay attention to the road. I have seen my uncle drink and drive. On average, every year about 1.6 million crashes happen due to cell phone usage. 1,000 of those crashes happen due to distractions and more than 6,000 people die because of drowsy-related crashes. Drivers are given the option to put their phones on built-in Bluetooth which most cars have now. Also, putting a phone on the speaker will avoid certain collisions to occur. The fundamental principle of making sure drivers take the proper initiative to become a better and safer driver consists of just simply paying attention to what you’re doing. Drivers should always be attentive to what is going on around them while they are driving because accidents and car crashes are preventable if you pay attention to your surroundings. Stop texting, stop trying to read that message, stop picking up that phone call, stop eating. All these actions are just another step to failure and can wait. Driving at the proper speed is also essential to driving. Speeding can cause you to lose control and perhaps lead to fatal death. If you need to take a phone call, send a text message, eat some food, or feel sleepy after a long day, park your vehicle so everyone is safe on the road, including yourself. When I get my driver’s license, it will be my personal goal to make sure that I am safe on the road every time.