The Importance of Driver Education

The Importance of Driver Education

Everyday millions of people get into their vehicles and drive home, to work, school, the grocery store, etc. Each time a person gets into their car, the thought that this may be their last drive isn’t something that really comes into mind. It is important to teach young, new, experienced, old drivers about driver education. If education is given not to just the new drivers but as well as experienced, the number of crashes and deaths could be reduced.

Distracted driving is a huge reason as to why people get into crashes. Texting and using social media are not to be used while behind the wheel of a vehicle. But also, eating or giving attention else where like a family member in the back seat is also distracted driving. One little text message can cost a life. Putting phones down while driving and eating while parked are ways to help diminish some of these distractions. Keeping eyes on the road and not letting conversations in the back seat distract you are key to keeping these distractions to a minimum.

Driving under the influence is something that can be avoided. When driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the chances of getting into a crash are so much higher. People should not lose their lives because a selfish person decided to drink and drive. By having a plan for using a ride share app or having a friend that is not under the influence drive you home, we are reducing the chances of a crash happening.

This past summer my brother was moving into college. My mom, sister, and uncle went to move him in. The drive was about 9 hours long, he was driving himself while everyone else caravanned. They left around 6 am and at 1 pm I received a phone call. I was not expecting my mother to call me crying saying that my little brother was in a car accident. It was the first time anybody I had really known had gotten into a wreck. My heart dropped and eyes filled up with tears. An 18-wheeler had side swiped my brother causing him to go off into the median, lose a wheel, and ultimately be pushed off into oncoming traffic. The chances of my brother being injured were so great. He had so many items in the cab of his truck due to him moving to his college. When his truck finally stopped turning, he landed in oncoming traffic, the front of his truck facing right towards hit. How nobody hit him is an absolute Godsend. Thankfully, my brother didn’t even have a bruise, though he was shaken up emotionally and mentally as anyone would be after a crash. His truck was totaled, but he was just fine which is what mattered here.

I could have lost my brother that day. My sister, mom, and uncle still are still shaken up from seeing my brother lose control of his truck in their rear-view mirrors. I will never forget the feeling of my heart sinking. Hearing my mother crying and myself worrying about him. Though I don’t know the full story besides an 18-wheeler side sweeping him, this crash could have been the cause of distracted driving, or driving while tired. Falling asleep at the wheel is sadly not an uncommon thing.

Steps that I could take to be a better and safer driver are limiting my distractions. Sometimes I drive back home from campus at night. I’m hungry and decide to stop for fast food on the way home. I eat while driving because sitting in my car to eat would make me get home later than had planned. But, eating while driving could cause a wreck and someone’s life. From now on when I decide to stop for food I will eat it in my car while parked in a parking lot. I would rather take the extra 10-15 minutes to eat rather than putting myself and other people on the road at risk due to selfish behavior.

I also do sometimes text and drive. I am not proud of it and would like to do better at it. Leaving my phone in my purse is something that could help with this. Having the phone out of site and out of mind is key here. Making a playlist for driving so I am not trying to change songs on my phone as well.

I can help others by letting them know that behaviors they are doing in the car are unsafe and can cause someone their life. Holding friends and family responsible for selfish actions as such is important. This could save not only their lives but also innocent people as well.

Driver education is important to helping reduce not only the number of crashes but the number of lives lost due to driving. By educating those new and experienced drivers, we can hope to see a decrease in number of crashes and deaths on the roads.