2020 Drivers ed Essay: Importance of Safe Driving

Importance of Safe Driving

A vehicle is one of the main modes of transportation for people to get around. Although vehicles are an efficient way to get from one location to another, all drivers need to receive formalized drivers ed. Vehicles can be very dangerous because it is something that can take your life or someone else’s in the blink of an eye due to negligence. Education is power and when you know better you do better, which is why drivers ed is so important. Comprehensive driving programs teach the rules of the road, state driving laws, and the values involved in operating a motor vehicle safely. Driving requires people to have situational awareness and defensive driving techniques to avoid accidents altogether, but specifically fatal crashes.

To reduce the number of deaths caused by driving is to figure out the root cause of vehicular fatalities. Studies show the leading causes of most accidents in America are distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. Over the past years, regulations and laws have been put in place to reduce traffic fatalities, but people continue to engage in negligent driving behavior. In 2018, drunk driving made up 29% of all traffic fatalities in the United States which averages one person dying every 50 minutes. Texting and driving accounted for one out of every four car accidents, so people who text and drive are eight times more likely to get in an accident than drunk drivers. Last, speeding is another major contributor to fatalities because people have an urgency to get from place to place causing them to speed to get there. In 2017, speeding was a contributing factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities.

To reduce accidents such as these, insurance companies can incentivize lower premiums by inserting monitoring devices in customers’ vehicles to encourage safer driving habits. If inserting these devices were to be mandated for all drivers it would force people to improve their driving through cost saving measures. Another way we could reduce deaths related to driving is to stress the importance of seatbelts because wearing them save lives.

Although I have not been in a car accident, I have witnessed family and friends driving irresponsibly. When I’m in a car with others, the main thing I witness them doing is speeding or texting and driving. Laws should require people to take refresher drives education courses or defensive driving classes to reinforce the rules of the road every three to four years. Taking refresher or defensive driving courses can help drivers anticipate situations to make safe, well-informed decisions on the road. Considering speedometers go up to 120mph, legislation could mandate car makers to equip vehicles with maximum speeds of only 80mph. As someone who is learning to drive and will be on the road soon, the one thing I can do to ensure I am a safer driver is to be mindful of my actions, intentional in being a safe driver, responsible and aware of the consequences for unsafe driving.