The Safeties of Drivers Education

Drivers education is important because it educates the young teens, who are just learning to drive, on the legal laws of the road. In order to have safe roads we must all follow the laws; whether that’s stopping at stop signs, slowing down near work zones, driving sober, stopping at red lights, and so much more. These rules and regulations are in place so that driving is an organized and safe task. If these new drivers are unaware of these rules they are a danger to themselves and other drivers. For example drivers who have not taken driver’s education may be unaware of the road line rules. On a two lane road in the country a new driver may encounter a solid yellow line next to themselves and a dotted yellow line for oncoming traffic. A car from oncoming traffic makes a left turn in front of them, because the dotted yellow line allows them too. Unaware that the solid line means no turning in that direction for their side of traffic, they may go to make a left turn and end up getting a ticket or worse a crash. It is important that they are educated on these things so that they do not danger themselves. The biggest cause of deaths related to driving are car crashes. I think there are two ways we can combat this. More should be done to stop texting while driving. Texting while driving is a big cause of car accidents. Being distracted by your cellular device is very common while driving, especially on long rides. I think there could be more done to prevent this. Whether that’s stricter laws, or having cell phones be embedded with a program that does not allow you to use it while driving. Another reason for car crashes is speeding. I think a way that speeding could be solved is lowering the mph cars can drive. If the speed limits on the freeway are 65 miles, why are some of our cars able to go 140 – 200 miles. There is no need for this excessive speed gap. Cars like that should be saved for the raceway. A regular car on the common freeway has no need to go 50+ miles above the speed limit. If anything our cars should only go maybe 20 miles above the speed limit. When I was 8 I was in a car crash with my dad. We were on the way to my 3rd grade christmas concert when we got a call from my mom that my brother had peed his pants in the car. They were stopped at a local burger restaurant, across from my school, and we were 2 minutes away from them. My dad rushed to the restaurant and took an illegal left turn into the parking lot. A car was coming from oncoming traffic and instead of waiting for it to pass, he rushed the turn. The cars collided, a small collision thankfully. Both cars pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and the police were called to sort everything out. We were right across from the school and I had begged to go to still be able to go to the Christmas concert; but my begging was shut down and I had to stay with my parents. Driving irresponsibly can not only have physical and fatal effects, but also mental effects. For years after the crash I was scared to sit in the front seat of the car. It was so bad that I was very hesitant about getting my license. I was afraid of driving, even in go karts. The long term effect of the crash was a form of post traumatic stress, even though the crash had never resulted in any physical harm. When finally taking the steps to get my license I took extra steps in order to become a safer and better driver. Even after completing my 3 driving lessons and completing the 50 hours of driving, I continued to practice my driving skills at my local college when it was empty. In order to stay safe I never have my music on too loud, so that I am able to focus on and be aware of my surroundings. There are many steps I can take in order to become a safer and better driver. To keep myself from being distracted I put my phone on “do not disturb”, and keep it further than an arms length away. This ensures I am not tempted to reach over and grab my phone. These are all ways I can make sure I am a safer and better driver. They can also help other be better drivers, which is why I keep my friends informed of the ways we can safely drive.