The Importance of Educating Drivers

The importance of Educating Drivers

In my life, I have seen the impact of careless driving and I believe that drivers’ education courses if taken seriously could potentially help bring down deaths because of distracted driving. This class should be designed to teach how dangerous driving can be and show the power that each person has when they get behind the wheel. I believe that the safety features they have added to some newer cars will drastically help bring the numbers down, but there could be more precautions. I have seen how cellphones and sometimes other people can cause accidents. My sister was in two serious accidents just a year apart because of the influences she succumbed to while behind the wheel. I have learned from her mistakes and I do my best to not use my phone or let the people inside my vehicle distract me while driving.

 I have also seen the challenges that face people with major anxiety as they drive. I think it would help to teach effective breathing techniques and other ways to calm anxiety as people drive. I have struggled with anxiety all my life and driving are very stressful. I have taught myself how to calm down when I come across a situation that scares me. I have always been terrified of Semi-trucks and as stupid as it sounds, sneezing while driving. Teaching these things in a class will help those who struggle quietly to be able to better focus on the road while driving. I understand that not everyone in the class will struggle with it, but we could potentially save lives if we teach everyone. I know that parents believe that their children are the most distracted but, in my experience, my parents are oftentimes more distracted than my friends and siblings. I think we should educate the older generations as well. No one is perfect, and people will drive distracted from time to time but if we can reduce the frequency of the distractions, we can save thousands of lives. 

The steps I have taken to become a better driver: I typically lock my phone in one of my many compartments. I do this because it takes my phone out of the equation. I have an apple watch that gets all my notifications and I can take a quick glance at to see if it is urgent. If I am alone in the car and it’s an emergency, I always pull over to take care of things before getting back on the road. I would rather avoid getting in an accident by pulling over. The loss of human life is never worth the risk of driving distracted. Educating people is the best way to bring the numbers down and I truly hope we can one drivers ed lesson at a time.