Ready Set Drive

Driving is considered to be a large milestone in a person’s life once they acquire their license and get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Not only is driving convenient, but it is a huge responsibility! Driving consists of absorbing and applying the rules of the road, obeying speed limits, taking precautionary measures to maintain safety both inside and outside of a motor vehicle, and obtaining proper paperwork to have the vehicle properly insured and registered. Not only can getting behind the steering wheel be tedious, but it can be dangerous as well! Driving can lead to trouble with law enforcement, car crashes, collisions with civilians, and even death! In order to reduce the number of accidents, driver education is very valuable to the safety of drivers, civilians, and others on or near the road.

Driving education involves the teaching of traffic regulations and laws, basic vehicle maintenance, and driving techniques. The knowledge obtained through studying and applying the material regarding driving can help drivers avoid crash related injuries to themselves or others. For example, if a person does not know that the speed limit in a residential area is 30 miles per hour, they may be going too fast, which will decrease their reaction time and possibly cause a collision between a speeding vehicle and a civilian. Also, laws such as no driving while under the influence and having insurance are a part of driving education that is valuable protecting the lives of people inside and outside of the vehicle. If a person abides by the different rules, laws, and regulations of the state or country they are driving in, they can avoid tickets, incarceration, suspended licenses, unwanted collisions, lawsuits and fatalities. Education on driving is mandatory to prevent death because the guidelines teach the driver how to properly handle the machine they are operating, and how to drive for not only themselves, but for others who share the road with them as well.

There are different steps a person can take to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. One step a person can take involves a safety measure which is enforcing the seatbelt rule. The force of a collision causes a person to be ejected through the windshield, or result in a person being thrown into a rapidly opening air bag. This tragic scenario can cost a person their life. Wearing a seatbelt prevents the risk of a driver or passenger being suspended from the vehicle by decreasing the velocity of a human body after the vehicle suddenly decreases its speed. This is one step to reducing the number of deaths related to driving.

Another solution to reducing fatalities regarding accidents while driving include avoiding driving while under the influence. Research shows that drinking impairs a person’s vision, judgment, awareness and reaction time. If a person were to assign a designated driver, this will definitely decrease the chances of getting into a vehicular accident versus a drunken person behind the wheel of an automobile. A designated driver will be more focused and have clearer reasoning, judgment, and focus compared to a driver that has been visually and mentally impaired from the effects of alcohol. Alcohol can cause a person to misjudge the movement, speed, and distance of other vehicles on the road. Avoiding drunk driving or any type of driving while under the influence of a substance can reduce death caused in automobile accidents.

I have been in the car with an irresponsible driver before and experienced a car accident while I was in the backseat of a vehicle for the first time ever in my life. An associate of mine at the time was driving a car that had power steering problems. After we were cut off in traffic after another vehicle jumped into the lane we were in, the driver who was behind the wheel of the vehicle I was triggered into a road rage. In an attempt to cut the driver in the other vehicle off as they did us once before, the driver in the car that I was in the backseat of jerked the wheel all the way to the right causing us to drive all the way up a ramp and crash into a gate in Miami Gardens, Florida. The driver controlling the vehicle I was in was so blinded by road rage and emotion that he disregarded the fact that there was an issue with its power steering. The speed and sudden turn, but lack of steering wheel control caused the car to drive up a ramp, crash into a gate, and get its wheels stuck on a stretch of metal wiring connected to the gate that it had just crashed into. Everything happened so fast, it was like my life flashed before my eyes.

Steps that I will take to ensure the safety of myself, my passengers, other drivers, and civilians include having patience when cars or turning or people are crossing the street. I will also avoid drinking and driving at all costs in fear that I will wreck the car, lose my life, or cause any injury or death to another driver, passenger, or civilian. I can also add that I will enforce the seatbelt rule to myself and any passenger that I may have in the vehicle with me. Obeying traffic rules, laws, and regulations are also steps that will help me become a better and safe driver as well as help others be safer on the road.