Driver Education Initiative Award

The majority of people have felt the anticipation of receiving their drivers license. A whole new world of freedom is unlocked when you don’t have an adult nagging in your ear over every little aspect of your drive. Even though it may seem great, there is no one to keep you in check. Many adolescent drivers don’t understand the severity of possible consequences every time they step in their car. Even the simplest mistake can impact your future forever. Enforcing drivers education is crucial, as this is where drivers learn how their car works, and the way of the road.

Driver’s education helps a beginner driver to develop confidence, memory skills, and responsibility. It allows drivers to practice driving on the road with a firm understanding of safety measures. They are able to better anticipate the step by step process to arrive at your destination safely. Confidence allows comfortability, and a natural inclination to respond more effectively in stressful driving situations. If the driver takes the course seriously and remembers their road rules, then the number of related deaths would decrease. The only problem with this is, most drivers don’t mind making blatant mistakes while driving if they don’t affect anyone. I think that drivers education needs to spend more time discussing the importance of speeding and drunk driving as those are the two leaders of car related deaths. If a course cements the possible life-altering changes that even one road fault can make will help a driver better understand safe driving etiquette.

With such a broad question, no two people will have the same exact answer. I think a couple simple steps could be implemented to reduce driving deaths. Getting drunk drivers off of the road and implementing better roadway lighting are two examples. A cheap and effective way is to discourage people from driving while under the influence of any kind, since half of all motor vehicle accidents involve intoxicants. A little increase in roadblock checks wouldn’t hurt and would possibly save lives. Messages targeted at bartenders would most likely also prove effective. Campaigning and public awareness would help spread the message so people know why driving while impaired is so dangerous. Another major factor in roadway accidents happens to be poor visibility. Most accidents happen to occur at intersections. If rural roads are well-lit, the number of accidents at those intersections would definitely decrease.

I have had an experience where I was involved in a car accident. My mother and I were driving back from the doctors and we got rear ended. At the time of this I was around 11 years old so the situation was pretty traumatizing. I remember my mom slowly breaking for the red light at an intersection and just feeling an intense wave of whiplash. All I could do was cry as my mom tried to reassure me that everything was going to be okay. It could have been several times worse, I couldn’t imagine how I would have been affected if it was. Present day me could still have been affected from that day if the crash was more severe. The man who crashed into us happened to be distracted on his cell phone. It’s important to preach to people you know the impacts someone could cause while driving distracted. Taking your eyes off the road for even a second, could take your own life or someone else’s. If that man was going faster then he was, there could’ve been a chance for serious injuries. A life in prison and immense guilt could have all been prevented by something as easy as putting your cellular device out of sight.

Driving comes with a great deal of responsibility and there are some steps that each and every driver can take to be more safe while on the road. Some obvious ones are to never drink and drive, and putting the phone down. As I described in the paragraph above, using your phone for a split second can cause a fatal accident. Thousands of people every year die in motor vehicle accidents due to distracted drivers. If you really find yourself needing to text or call, a more responsible solution would be to pull off somewhere safe to fulfill your desires. Creating a safety margin is needed to be an efficient and safe driver. Even if you are abiding by all the traffic rules, there will always be a hazardous driver who will pose a threat to your safety. Maintaining a gap between your car and someone else’s ensures enough time to react if they do something wrong or unpredictable.

In conclusion, driving can turn from a gift into someone’s worst nightmare in the blink of an eye. With enough knowledge and repetition, anyone can become a safe driver. Dangerous driving isn’t something to boast about to your friends. The potential risks that careless driving could cause on yourself or others are infinite, so understanding the ways to warrant your safety while on the road can save you from life-threatening affairs.