Driver education benefits everyone

When the time came for me to sign up for driver education, I was so excited as it meant I was closer to getting my license and I couldn’t wait! What I didn’t know at the time was how valuable those classes were going to be, not only to me but for my whole family. Both my parents took driving seriously as my mom is a nurse who sees daily the effects from car accidents and my dad has a transportation company, who safely keeps drivers on the roads. Although my parents have excellent driving records and have never had accidents, they felt it was important for professional classes and lessons for me to instill what they believed as safe driving habits. As I progressed through the classes and would daily discuss the topics with my parents it was interesting to see some traffic rules that my parents had forgotten. It was through me that they got a refresher course on rules of the road that over years habits have developed causing them to deviate from the rules.

I also learned that not following the rules while driving puts myself at risk and everyone around me. One broken rule could take the life of another individual. The rules and speed limits are factors that have been put in place to promote safety and decrease accidents. The driver is 200% accountable for safety of themselves and the environment around them. It important to be aware of your vehicle and the vehicles around you, to provide defensive driving to avoid an accident.

In addition to the classroom content, the hours I spent behind the wheel with my instructor were priceless. We would travel for hours on the highway going through scenarios, and safety on the road. The most fun was parking. I was taught the angles and use of mirrors and parking lines to strategically park with caution. These tools were priceless, as I still can hear my instructor speaking to me while I’m parking. I was also taught the importance of knowing your vehicle and what its telling you. I always keep an eye on the dashboard and alerts of lights that are out, fluids that are low, or any message which would prevent the car from its typical performance. Also walking up to the vehicle, I notice the tires, and body of the car to make sure everything appears safe and in good working standard. These safety checks can prevent a disaster while on the road.

I learned in drivers education the type of vehicles that were more likely to be involved in an accident for a new driver. The statistics from research was eye opening, as most I would have thought was made up had they not showed us the data. I was also informed that when a teen shares a family car versus having their own vehicle it decreases the chances of accidents. In addition to the types of cars teens were driving and whether the teen had their own care, that increased their statistics of an accident but also the number of teens in a car at once increased the chances of an accident. The distractions for a new driver are countless, but to add in a car of friends defiantly increases the risks of an accident.

My family defiantly used the rules for new teen driver to instill we were doing what we could to be safe. The data and research were too informative to ignore. Daily people follow rules to keep themselves safe and driving should be no different. Even after the recommended times we still continued to follow the new drivers rules, as they decrease the chances of accidents.

The milestone of getting my license has been a positive experience for me and my family. I continue, daily to follow the lessons I learned at drivers education. As this is positive milestone it continues to have risks every time someone gets on the road. Therefore, you can never let your guard down no matter how long you have been driving. I choose to follow the rules and also when I’m with my friends, I also make sure they follow the safety rules of the road. Daily I see on the news, reporting’s of accidents and fatalities which most appear preventable. It is imperative that rules of the road are followed, and we decrease traffic fatalities. For anyone to lose their life in a preventable accident is tragic and together we need to stop these.