Driving is no Joke

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving?

People from 16-18 years of age are the ones who have the highest number of accidents. They’re still learning so they aren’t completely comfortable on the road like adults who have been driving for years.A law firm has reported that “Teenagers are 3 times more likely to crash than drivers over the age of 20. More than 2,500 teens are killed every year in car accidents. More than 200,000 teens are injured every year in car accidents” (2022, para. 2). These statistics make it evident that the number of deaths as a result of driving happen because of teenagers inexperience and lack of awareness/knowledge. But I believe that if they were to be professionally trained through driver education then those statistics would be lowered. Without driver education people are most likely learning how to drive from parents or adults in their life. But the faulty thing about that is like with any teacher, just because they understand the topic or know how to drive doesn’t mean they know how to teach. And there’s most likely many concepts that the parent/adult will not emphasize enough or miss altogether. On the other hand a driver’s education will teach you all the rules of the road and teach you the proper way to drive. And it will also give you all the risks and precautions that come with driving. With that knowledge the number of deaths are bound to reduce.

What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

The steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is that we need to make people aware of all the dangers of driving. And all the mistakes that are made when accidents happen or just in general. First of all, drinking and driving is an absolute no and must never happen because being intoxicated completely disrupts your judgment making you prone to accidents. Also it’s important to know and abide by all the laws including speed limits because they are there for our safety. We also have to never get distracted by anything while driving and have 100% focus and attention on the road. Personally every single time before I get on the road I go through all the priorities I have while I’m driving so I can get into the right mindset. And I also make sure that I don’t do anything while I’m driving except drive. Which includes not checking my phone, changing the radio or getting distracted with anything else.

Have you ever had an experience of being in a car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly?

I’ve personally experienced two accidents. And my father is a truck driver and has had a couple of accidents. Most of his accidents happened because people don’t take trucks on the road seriously and don’t keep enough distance from their trucks. He tells me a lot of stories of how unreasonable and dangerous people are on the road. They just don’t consider the fact that driving is no joke and that in just one mere moment it can cost your life and the lives around you or it could result in lifelong injuries. In the first accident I was in, my sister and I were just driving home around 11 pm, and out of nowhere, a car crashed into the back of our car and then immediately turned around and drove off. It was a hit-and-run accident. My sister was able to take control of the wheel so we didn’t start spinning but I did bang my lip against the dashboard. There was no reason for that car to hit us because there was no one or anything around us. They must have been intoxicated or distracted but the fact that they drove off and didn’t deal with the accident made it worse. It made me feel really uncomfortable to be on the road after that, because who knows what people are thinking on the road or what they’re going to do. Although my second accident, which is still very fresh in my brain because it happened only a month ago in October 2022, was much more severe. It was only by the grace of God that I came out of that accident alive and without any injuries other than a few bruises on my legs. My brother was in the passenger seat and he only busted his lip. This time the accident was my fault because I only had a few hours of sleep the night before so I was drowsy and without noticing I must have closed my eyes for a moment and all of a sudden I was aiming straight at a mailbox. This mailbox wasn’t just any weak mailbox, it had a big metal piece attached to it so when the car slammed into it at 50 mph (which was the speed limit), our car started to flip. And there was nothing we could do except lift our prayers to God and hope we weren’t dead. It was one of the most traumatic things I’ve ever gone through. But it will also probably be the biggest lesson of my life. First of all the road is not a playground but a place where within moments you could be facing life or death so you have to be alert and focused only on your driving. And to never get on the road if I’m not 100% confident that I can drive like if I’m tired or sick then it’s not worth the risk. And really it was like a wake up call that I have to grow up and take up more responsibility not just in driving but in every area of my life.