The Language of the Road.

The road is a crazy place, whether you are walking, riding or driving you have to be extra aware of your surroundings. Understanding the complexity of the road and all of the tips and tricks can take time and even seem overwhelming at a first look but that is what driver’s education is all about. Creating a strong foundation of knowledge about the road is ideal to have a successful future and the best way to gain this understanding is through driver’s education. Driver’s education is critical because it can teach you how to communicate with others on the road, help you to increase your chance of survival, prevent simple but monumental mistakes, and make you a safer driver.

Driver’s education is very similar to a language class but instead of using a voice to communicate you are using a vehicle. Not only do we use our signals to communicate, we have brake lights and all have an agreement that a red light means stop. I know that this just sounds like basic knowledge that everyone understands but it is still a key in one’s survival on the road. If we had several people all having different definitions to the word pretty, some positive and other negative, then a lot of confusion would happen on the road along with more accidents. This is the exact reason why diver’s education is so vital. Although no one is a mind reader and you can not fully understand what everyone else on the road is thinking, it is essential that each driver does their best to communicate and listen to others. When we learn how to communicate with other drivers and truly have an understanding of each other, then we can prevent more accidents and increase the safety on the road.

Human communication is just as important as communicating with the road. Even with stable communication with others perfectly, you still need to remain safe when driving alone on a variety of road types. Types of roads are like different dialects, each with their own unique characteristics that you have to learn in order to safely drive on it. On average we all drive on asphalt and it is one of our most fluent road dialects, but it is not the only dialect that exists on the road. Some other examples of road dialects that drivers learn is snow, mud, and gravel. These are all very different road conditions that need different driving methods and understanding these conditions is pinnacle in the safety of the road. Another major dialect that is very tricky and requires extra safety is the day after the first rain. This is a tricky one because the water that just fell brings up all the oils from the ground basically making it an oily road. Although this is always something hard to do the first time, it is definitely easier when you are aware of the true conditions of the road. Many people who are not truly aware of the road conditions or how to properly adjust to them will get into accidents that can be fatal.

I learned the dialects of the road the hard way which made me wish I learned more about different road conditions and how to properly adjust to them. Over the summer, I went to visit my friend that lives far away and it was farther away and in an unfamiliar area. I researched the night before and learned that her driveway was off a highway and was gravel based. The gravel dialect was not something that I learned when I was learning to drive, so when I was turning into the driveway I did not slow down properly and ultimately lost control. Lady luck was on my side that day and there was overall minimal damage to the surrounding, my car and ultimately myself. It was an overall learning experience because it made me realize how much I still have a lot to learn about the road but I may have also missed out on some very valuable knowledge because I did not do a driver’s education class before taking my test. I hope that others around me will learn from me and realize how important it is to take Driver’s Education so they can have a more positive driving experience in unfamiliar situations than me.

As someone who is still new to driving but still has some miles under my belt, I have definitely learned a few things that have increased my safety levels. The first thing that someone should do before you start driving is to make sure you know where you are going and have the directions. I personally recommend that you have a proper phone stand and know what your final destination looks like. The next thing you should be aware of before heading out is the road conditions that you may be facing along the way to your destinations. If you know it is just asphalt then, check possible weather conditions and be aware of any imperfections in the road while driving. When a driver is aware of where they are driving, then they are more likely to drive defensively and protect themselves. Another tip that a new driver should take is to use signals all the time. Even if one does not think it is needed, that signal can tell another driver of your plan and give them proper knowledge of how to act. Lack of signals can lead to many collisions because others can not guess what you are about to do next. My final and most essential advice that I can give away to anyone is to be aware of others but concerned about yourself. I say this because when you are more concerned about others you put your safety at risk and ultimately others at risk as well.

Overall, safety is a driver’s highest priority. Safety is not that hard to achieve but is easy to put at risk so to decrease the amount of risks one should truly take Driver’s Education. Many of the things that I mentioned and even ones that I did not, like limiting distractions, can be learned during the classes. Although I did not take any driver’s education before earning my license I have realized how much it could have benefited me. So much of the knowledge I have gained while driving I could have learned about in drivers education. Future drivers who want to have the best experience on the road that is very safe, should take Driver’s Education so they can have the best foundation of knowledge that a driver can have. Ultimately, driver’s education makes safer drivers and thus the road overall safer.