The Importance of Drivers Education

The importance of driver’s education in reducing the number of deaths as a result to driving is highly important much like completing a college degree. Driver’s education provides teens and sometimes middle-aged adults with the information needed in order to drive safely. The program teaches its students what each sign they will see on the road means, the sobriety one must have while operating a vehicle, and the importance of following the rules of the road.

The steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are taught in driver’s education. These steps are simple as long as you paid attention to the instructor and keep them in mind each time you get behind the wheel.

One step is, putting your seatbelt on each time you get in a vehicle. Seatbelts saves lives by keeping you in place when in a collision rather than being thrown through the windshield or out of the vehicle. Which would cause more damage than a seatbelt would since a seatbelt may only cause slight bruising and maybe a broken rib or two which is better than a cracked skull or broken back. Furthermore, another step is to never drink or smoke before getting behind the wheel. The legal blood alcohol content is 0.08% in all states which is less than one can of beer. This means that even though you may not feel the affects that a single beer may have on you it still shows in your blood alcohol content and can lead to an accident occurring that may result in injury or worse, death. Similarly, smoking marijuana before or even while driving can cause a significant impairment to one’s senses. Such as, slowing one’s reaction time, distorting ones perception, and compromising ones coordination which in result can lead to a fatal collision claiming the life of a driver or passenger. In addition to wearing a seatbelt and refraining from drinking or smoking before or while driving, a step a vehicle operator can take is putting all cellular and electronic devices away while on the road. The hands-free law, which is a topic discussed in drivers’ education, states how a driver cannot have a phone in their hand or touching any part of their body while talking on their phone while driving. Meaning that while speaking on speaker phone is okay while driving sending and writing emails, text messages, social media content, and other actions is not acceptable. This is due to the fact that while preforming these actions while driving takes one focus off the road leading to a potential accident to occur. Another step that may be taken is while driving always pay attention to your surroundings, such as making sure no pedestrians are crossing the street and maintaining a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to ensure a safe stop if a sudden stop were to occur. These measures ensure that a pedestrian was not struck by the vehicle and that a collision does not happen if a sudden haul takes place. Overall, these are only four or five of the many steps one can take to ensure road safety and reduce the risk of a death caused by a vehicle.

I myself have never been in an accident bigger than a “thumper-bumper” but have known a handful of people who have either been seriously injured or have died due to a vehicle collision. One was a young girl the age of 16 that had been in my Spanish class to whom had been the only death that occurred in a multi car collision on the highway and another had been my cousin to whom was seriously injured in a accident that had left them in the hospital for awhile and then in physical therapy for a period of time afterward.

With this in mind, the steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safe on the road is to put my phone in my purse and place it in the back seat, make sure to keep my attention fully on the road at all times meaning to take caution of pedestrians and sudden stops, and once of age never to drink knowing I have to drive. Furthermore, in order to help others become safe on the road I can ensure that I remind them to put their phone away while driving especially when I am there to tell them, offer to drive someone who has been drinking or smoking a safe ride home rather than letting them drive themselves, and make sure that everyone puts their seatbelts on the moment that get into the car before anyone starts driving.