In The Driver’s Seat

In The Driver’s Seat

Driver education is so important to reduce the risk of deaths on the road. Before taking driver’s education, I had no idea what I was doing driving. I had no idea what each road sign meant, what certain lights meant, or even just the common courtesy of the road. I also was not aware of just how dangerous driving could actually be. One of my driver’s ed teacher’s favorite teaching methods was scare tactics. He would illustrate these crazy stories of people getting stuck under the wheel of a truck, a car blowing up with people trapped inside, and vehicles tumbling over the sides of bridges into a body of water. Not only did his scare tactics work, but I also learned so much during driver’s education, like traffic laws and how to handle any situation I may encounter while driving. I also learned that in order to gain the privilege of being a safe member of the road, I needed to be alert, informed, educated, and aware. Every potential driver should take a driver’s education class to learn these essential aspects of road safety.

There are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving related deaths. First, if you’re going to listen to music or need to turn the air conditioning/heat on, do so before you put the car into drive and get onto the road. Doing so will result in you being less focused on the conditions of your driving and more focused on actually being a responsible driver. Messing around with controls and buttons while you’re driving could cause you to swerve into the other lane, rear end someone, or miss a stop sign/stop light. Second, make sure that you do not, under any circumstances try to text and drive. Texting and driving is so dangerous in the sense that you are focused more on your phone than what’s going on around you, and by the time you realize you’re coming up on a stop light or a car in front of you, it could be too late. The correspondence can wait until you get to your destination. These are the two big topics to discuss, but there’s also the obvious things that many people don’t think about. Make sure you have a spare tire and know how to change it, that your windshield wipers work, your blinkers are not about to die, all of your lights are functioning properly, your brakes are working fine, there’s no engine or utility light lit up on your dashboard, your windows and mirrors are clean, and obviously avoid driving when you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or extremely tired. If you are not in a clear and alert state of mind, don’t get behind the wheel.

I have never personally been in an accident, but I have occasionally seen my friends and parents speed and try to text and drive. The good news is I know steps I can take to not drive irresponsibly. These include following all traffic rules, stopping fully at stop signs, driving the speed limit and slower when the weather is bad such as the presence of snow or ice, giving myself enough room between me and the car in front of me, making sure that me and any passengers are wearing a seatbelt and that the seatbelts fit right, never driving when I’m not in the mental state to, avoiding texting and driving, getting my seat/music/temperature controls situated before I start driving, pulling over and calling someone for help if I feel like I’m not in an okay state to drive, avoiding making any rash decisions, and driving predictably. I can do my part in keeping the roads safer and reducing accidents by following these steps while I’m on the road.