Being a Better Driver

Over 38,000 people die every year due to car accidents. Additionally, 4.4 million are seriously injured enough to require medical help. One way that can improve driving skills and reduce deaths related to driving, is driver’s education. Driver’s education is a program designed to teach those who wish to seek a permit or license the rules of the road, and how to operate a car. Besides driver’s education, there are also many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, and to be a safer driver.

Previously mentioned, driver’s education is crucial in reducing the number of deaths. It is important, because it teaches all aspects of driving. Such as, how to drive in different weather conditions, how to drive in congested areas, defensive driving, driver’s judgment, laws and regulations regarding the road, how to park in various locations (hills, parallel, diagonal, and stright-in parking), and much more. It is important for every driver to know these things in order to avoid an accident. Personally, I have almost been in a serious car accident. My grandma was driving my brother and me somewhere when suddenly she lost control of her car, because the roads were very icy. Her car spun in many circles down a hill until we reached the bottom. Thankfully, there was no one else around, so we didn’t hit anyone or anything. I am not sure if my grandma had taken driver’s ed classes, however situations like these could be avoided with driver’s classes. A study done by Office of University Communications University of Nebraska–Lincoln states, “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident” This study proves that driver’s education is a key factor in reducing the number of death in reagards to driving while also improving the driver’s skills.

Driver’s education isn’t the only factor in reducing the number of deaths related to driving. There are many steps that can be taken when driving, such as obeying the traffic laws. Following the speed limit, using your blinker, using your seatbelt, and moving over for emergency vehicles that have running sirens and lights, can ensure the general safety of you and the public. Another way to avoid an accident would be to rid yourself of distractions. According to studies, “About 9 people are killed every day in the U.S. as a result of distracted driving.” This could be anything from eating, using your phone, or even navigation. The most common distraction I see daily would be people using their phones. Avoiding driving after the use of drugs or alcohol is another great way to avoid an accident. Driving under the influence impairs your driving, making it unsafe for everyone. Being under the influence causes poor coordination, bad judgement, black-outs, and double vision making it difficult to drive safely. Being aware of your surroundings is another helpful way to avoid an accident. Once, I was almost hit by another car. I was driving through a green light, and I had the right-of-way. The other person was turning left on the other side of the road. They cut in front of me, and I had to break really hard to avoid a collision. If I was not paying attention to the other driver, it definetly would have been a bad accident. This is a great example of being cautious of your surroundings and other drivers. Some other steps that could be taken are driving rested, yielding to pedestrians, keeping a safe distance between other drivers, and slowing down when road conditions are unsafe.

Personally, I never took a driver’s education class. Instead, I read a manual on driving and the rules of the road, and drove with an instructor for a certain amount of hours. Honestly, I have made some mistakes while driving, and I think part of it is because I didn’t take a proper driver’s ed course. I did learn from my mistakes, and now I know some steps I could take to become a better driver. One is being aware of my surroundings when I’m backing out of a parking space. Usually, there are no cars around my house besides mine and my parents, because we live out of town. This particular time, we had company over and I needed to leave. I didn’t look around when I started backing out of my driveway, because I had gotten in the habit of not looking. I ended up backing into a friend’s car, and causing more damage to his car than mine. Since then, I always look behind me when I back out even if I know for sure there is nothing or no one behind me. Something else I could do to be a better driver, is to learn how to drive in different types of weather, and slow down when road conditions are unsafe. Winters can be pretty rough from where I live. I do have some idea on how to drive in the winter, however there are some things I could improve on. For example, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable driving on icy roads so I don’t slow down that much on them. Once, I was driving faster than I should have been on an icy road. I wasn’t speeding, but I wasn’t going very slow either. I was coming up to a red light, and started breaking but my car kept sliding. I almost rear ended the person in front of me. Now I know that I should slow down when road conditions are unsafe, even if I’m comfortable driving on them. Some steps I could encourage others to take to become better drivers are to drive the speed limit and stay off their phones. One of my friends was driving us somewhere, and she was speeding while also on her phone. I told her to slow down, and let me handle whatever she was doing on her phone. She wouldn’t listen to me and kept doing it. We ended up running off the road, because she wasn’t paying attention and going too fast to stop in time. Fortunately, the car didn’t turn over or anything, and we made it out without a scratch. She is not the only one I know who uses their phone or speeds while driving. I should encourage them to pay more attention to the road, and drive slower to make it safer for everyone.

Overall, driver’s education is very important for driver’s safety, because it teaches everything about driving. It provides useful information on how to operate a car from perfect road conditions to the worst. It also teaches you the rules of the road, so you can protect the safety of you and the public. There are also many steps that can be taken to avoid a fatal accident such as obeying traffic laws, ridding yourself of all distractions, driving under the influence, being aware of your surroundings, and much more. In my personal life, I have had small accidents and managed to avoid huge collisions. I don’t know anyone personally that has been in a fatal car accident, however it causes many deaths everyday. Before testing for your learners permit or lisense, it is highly recommended to take a driver’s education course to better understand the road. If you already have your permit or lisences, it would be best to re-evaluate and correct your driving skills or knowlege to provide safety for everyone.