Knowledge, Experience, And Precautions

Fatal crashes. Property damage. Insurance strikes. Mourning families. Accidental pedestrian deaths. These are all things that we as human beings should strive to avoid, not to mention they can cost you a hefty sum of money. Lucky for us and anybody who takes the time to do it, there is a nifty little helper by the name of DRIVERS EDUCATION.

So many people in the United States die every year due to car accidents of all types, the keyword there was “accident”. Just because you think you may be a good driver, or even a great driver, it does not mean that you cannot make an accident, and it also does not mean that you can control what other drivers do around you. But enough with the fact that you can make mistakes, instead, let’s talk about how you can avoid them as best as you can.

Driver’s Ed. is a wonder. First off, they have put in years of time to research and test safe practices for driving, and have more knowledge about safe driving than you would think. They allow you to drive, test, and apply knowledge for the road, before you even go on the road! Some important things to think about are distractions, (phones. computers, headphones, etc.) When I drive, I make sure my phone is turned off, and if I’m using an app like google maps, I will make sure to turn my notifications off, and make sure my phone is secured somewhere near my front windshield, so I do not stray my attention from my surroundings.

If you guessed that the next subject was surroundings, then you got it right! Another important part of driving is paying attention to your surroundings. Say you’re driving in your lane, minding your own business, and everything is going smoothly. As long as you are driving safely, you should be fine, right? WRONG. A driver in the opposite lane happens to be playing a game on her phone, and swerves into your lane in a split second. This is when being aware of your surroundings comes in handy. Your first reaction is to honk at the driver to let them know they have strayed from their path, and bring their attention to the road. But they just so happen to have headphones on, and cannot hear your car horn. Now you’re in a pickle. Or so you thought. Scan your surroundings to see if you can go off the road momentarily to avoid the car. There also just so happens to be a stone wall on your side and another car is behind the car endangering you. This is where most people would give up. But you can do more from there, if only you had completed Drivers Ed.

I used to be “that guy”. I thought that I was that one cool guy in the movies that could handle anything that came my way. Personally, I thought driver’s ed. was a waste of time, and I would be fine without it. I wish I knew back then how wrong I was. The situation that was written above actually happened to me. I broke my neck, nose, several ribs, fractured my hip bone and my right femur, ruptured four plates on my back, and broke my right arm. I was in a hospital bed for months, and when I finally got out, my life was never the same. The cost from all the surgeries was almost too much to bear. On top of that, moving caused me great pain, as my hip was still causing irritation, I could not put weight on my right leg, and had and still have a condition known as sciatica. MY. LIFE. WAS. HELL. My family was already not doing well with money, and supporting me was not helping one bit with our situation. My parents went into a lot of debt, when I say a lot, I mean a LOT. And our insurance company screwed us over, so on top of all the costs, WE owed THEM money. My family and I are still currently paying off debt. I’m working and trying to go to college, all while trying to file a lawsuit against our insurance company, but it is not going well to say the least.

I do not like my situation, but I know that other people have been in the same place that I have. My only hope is that people become more aware of the things that can happen while driving, and I know for a fact that driver’s ed. can help with this. I hope someone will read this and change their mind about driver’s education, because I wish that I had.