The Responsibility of the Driver

In any situation, proper education and experience will help individuals avoid life threatening mistakes. The more aware you are, the more prepared you will be to take on new and sometimes difficult endeavors. Every time you get on the road, you are not only responsible for the safety of yourself, but also everyone else on the road.

The best way to approach this matter is to ensure that all drivers are educated on the rules of the road and are aware of safety guidelines. This education is of the utmost importance because well-trained drivers are usually prepared and quick to respond should they encounter any danger on the road. With the proper training, drivers will be able to anticipate others’ mistakes before they even occur and adjust their actions to prevent an accident. The formal and universal education of drivers ensure that everyone is following the same rules so that traffic flows smoothly and collisions are avoided as much as possible. 

Communication is key while driving, so practicing going through intersections that rely entirely on communication such as four way stops or highway merging should be highly emphasized and practiced in drivers’ education to avoid unnecessary accidents related to driving. This is because many of the collisions that take place on the road are due to miscommunication and distractions. Another way to avoid distractions on the road is to apply a national law outlawing texting and using phones while driving, the same way that driving under influence is outlawed. 

I personally have been in an accident before and it was an extremely scary experience. While driving along a narrow and windy road to pick up my friend, I turned my left signal on long before I planned to turn into her road to ensure the person behind me was aware that I was slowing down to make the turn. Unfortunately, that day the woman behind me didn’t see my signal and rear ended me, another example of distracted driving. Luckily, no one was hurt and there was minimal damage done to our vehicles, but I’ll never forget the tingling that shot up my spine when I heard the sharp crunch of metal against metal. 

To avoid mistakes such as this one, we need to ensure that every driver is properly prepared before they take to the roads, as well as minimize distractions such as phones. To become a safer driver, I always check that I’m following speed limits, communicating effectively with others on the road, and focusing all of my attention on the task at hand to minimize distractions. By taking these few simple steps, others can become safer drivers as well to protect people from getting hurt and to avoid unnecessary accidents. After all, “It takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one nut to scatter it all over the road” (quotegarden).