It Can Wait

I believe that young drivers need driver education before getting behind the wheel because it can provide safety for others and for themselves. There are so many distractions now in our world of driving and it is important to educate new and experienced drivers on the harmfulness of distracted driving. Driver education for all can reduce the number of deaths each year by teaching everyone about the rules of the road and what can happen if you do not follow them.

The steps that can be taken are to always follow these rules and one of the most important ones is to put your phone down before you go anywhere because it can always wait until you get to your destination. Texting and driving kills. It has happened too many times and it almost happened to my family. Things could have been very different for us.

Unfortunately I have had the experience of being in a car accident as a new driver just having gotten my permit last year. I was driving my family home one night over the summer because I always wanted to get in practice whenever I could. I felt comfortable as a driver and I felt as though I was a good driver having had a lot of practice through drivers education and my parents teaching me. That night a distracted driver crossed over the double yellow line and hit my family and I head on. I could see that the driver was texting and driving as he was driving head on into our car. We couldn’t avoid him because he was swerving back and forth and then finally came into our lane. I tried to avoid hitting him but he hit us head on because he wasn’t paying attention to the road until the last minute and by then it was too late. We were all very shaken and so upset but luckily no one was injured. Both cars weren’t as lucky and there was quite a lot of damage done to both. We didn’t get my Moms car back for most of the summer and it has never driven the same. The other driver was immediately sorry and regretted his decision to text and drive. The driver continued to apologize over and over again, and came over to hug me. However, it could have been too late if he had killed an entire family. My family.

I knew before the accident that texting and driving was never a good idea. I knew the dangers of it from so many people. I learned that through driver education and through my parents when we would always talk about the rules of the road and being responsible, but I would feel terrible if I was ever in his position and did what he did. Sometimes people don’t learn from their mistakes until something goes very wrong.

The steps you can take to be a better and safer driver on the road is to take the classes and really pay attention to drivers education. It provides you with everything you need to be a safe driver. You just have to promise yourself and everyone else that you will follow those rules every time you get behind the wheel. If you don’t do these things to keep yourself and others safe you could find yourself arrested, losing your license, hurting someone or possibly killing them or their family. People don’t think about it that way. People sometimes think they are not going to ever get in an accident or lose control of their car if they are doing other things while they are driving, but it is inevitable. Through this whole experience I have learned more than driver education could teach me because I personally went through an accident where someone was driving distracted by their phone. The impact that it had on both my family and I stayed with us for a long time. My parents thought that it might affect me as a driver and that I might be afraid to get behind the wheel again so soon, but my dad took me right back to the same spot the next day which made me feel much more comfortable and confident with driving again. The accident itself will always be a reminder to me to never put myself in that situation, or put anyone else’s family in that situation because we know how it could have ended. Being the safest driver possible is the only way to be.