Being Cautious On the Road

Driving is one of the modes of transportation that people use to get by in their day to day lives. Almost everyone does it. For as long as I can remember, the thought of having to drive on my own scared me tremendously. I always feared that I would somehow lose control and end up in an accident. When I was 16, I was living with my brother and his family for a while in Miami. His wife wanted to teach me how to drive. I was nervous, but a tad bit excited. The problem, however, was that I had absolutely no experience with driving and had no idea what to do. She had me behind the wheel in a crowded parking lot and I instantly crashed. I was devastated and very shocked. I was told that I just had to remain calm and that it was not my fault, but that experience alone caused me to not go behind the wheel for about an entire year after.

A few months after the accident occurred, I began taking some online classes for the high school that I attended at the time. One of the courses that I took was driver’s ed. I learned so much information that simply being on the road would have never taught me. It made me feel more prepared when it came to knowing the rules of the road. The one big step that people should take before taking control of the road is going through the process of driver’s education. Doing so would help people understand the rules of the road better and possibly reduce the risks of accidents or deaths that occur daily because of driving carelessly. Once I completed the course, I took my driver’s ed test and passed. From that point, I received my permit, but I was still a little scared to learn how to drive. I did not start driving until March 2022, and I realized that it was not as bad as I thought it would be. However, I did see how some people would drive carelessly on the road more than if I was in the passenger seat or the backseat. Being behind the wheel meant having to be much more cautious. I would not be able to sit back and relax on my phone like I normally would in the passenger’s seat or backseat. I had to make sure that I paid attention to the road and my surroundings to ensure that no accidents would occur. Unfortunately, it does not matter how safe one is on the road, because there are hundreds of other people driving at the same time as others and if they drive recklessly, it could put the safest drivers in danger, no matter how cautious you are.

The goal of driver’s education is to provide people with knowledge that will allow them to drive as carefully as they can to ensure that everyone who is behind the wheel on the road can reach their destination safely without any harm done to themselves or their car. Growing up, my mother got into several accidents. I would be so thankful each time that she was okay but hearing about how dangerous the road was at a young age did have an impact on how careful I would want to be on the road when I had to start driving. There have been multiple times where I would be in the car with my family members or my friends and they would start speeding out of nowhere, going way past the speed limit. Or they would even use their phones constantly while driving, putting themselves and anyone else in the car with them in potential danger. To be a safe driver, there are a multitude of things that can be done. One cause of death amongst drivers is driving under the influence. Most people have a few drinks and believe that they are perfectly fine enough to drive. This can end the lives of so many people because if you are not in the right state of mind when driving, things can go very wrong. When a cellular device is in one’s possession, it is best if they wait until they reach their destination before using it. This can help them to not be distracted while they are driving. Another thing that can be done to protect people on the road is to drive within the speed limit. I understand that sometimes people want to arrive at their destinations faster, but it is all fun and games until someone gets severely hurt because of reckless driving. It is also very important for drivers to follow the rules of the road too. Running red lights does more harm than good, using turn signals can stop potential accidents from occurring, and even leaving room for the fellow cyclists on the road can stop possible deaths from happening. As a fellow driver, I try my best to follow all the rules of the road so that me and other people on the road can remain as safe as possible.