Of Utmost Importance: Driver’s Education

One thing that almost everyone experiences is driving or being a passenger while someone else is driving. Using a car is the primary way that people get to work, see family, road trips, or even vacations. Even though driving can be a great experience it can also be dangerous. Each year thousands of people die due to car accidents. Whether, that danger is due to a drivers own negligence or someone elses it is always important to make sure that you take all precautions to keep yourself safe.

The first step in increasing driving safety is driver education. To get a license it is required by law that you take a written test in which you learn the laws of the road. If this test was not necessary many people would not understand that they have to obey speed limits, stop at stop signs, or stop behing school buses. A lack of driver education would significantly increase the amount of accidents and deaths. Even now, people who don’t follow the rules that they were once taught are at the root of most accidents. It is safe to say that if everyone did not even know the rules of the road, driving would be incredibly difficult, dangerous, and chaotic.

When driving there are many steps that can be taken to reduce the numbers of deaths related to driving. The first thing is to not only learn the rules of the road, but follow them as well. This means no running red lights or going over the speed limit. Another step that can be taken is make sure that you and your passengers are safe. You can do this by making sure that everyone in the car has their seatbelts on and that that all airbags are in good working condition. Another important step that people often neglect is making sure that the car itself is in good working condition. Good working condition means that everything can operate and be used without issue. It is important to make sure tha your brakes are working properly, your tires are in good shape, etc.

Fortunately, I have never been in a car accident and neither has any of my family. One family member that comes to mind that drives irresponsibly is my grandfather. He grew up in a time where driver’s education wasn’t what it was today and some cars didn’t even have seatbelts. Because of this, his frame of thinking when it comes to driving is not very modern. He does not obey the speed limit most of the time, even on roads in my own neighborhood with children playing all around. Also, if he is about five minutes away from home he will take off his seatbelt. My family has urged him to follow the rules of driving but he always brushes it off saying that hes never gotten into an acciedent before. We tell him that he is getting older and his sight, hearing, and reflexes are not like they once were. I feel that if he had a refresher on driving safety he would follow the rules more.

Personally, I think that there are many steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver. First, I should every once in awhile review the laws of the road. You never know what laws may change or be added. Another thing I can do to help be a safer driver is to limit the amount of distractions. This means turning my phone on Do Not Disturb and and not focusing on switching a song while driving, etc. Lastly, I can always be on alert and prepared. This means having a first aid kit, emergency supplies and always being aware of what is happening around me. To help someone else be a better driver, I would encourage them to update themselves on the laws of the road, make sure they are wearing their seatbelt, and to always make sure that their car is in good condition.

In conclusion driving education and driving safety is key to lowering the amount of deaths caused by driving. One of the main causes of accidents is due to negligence. When driving, your own negligence can not only affect you but your passengers and other drivers. A step that everyone can take is to make drivers ed a priority. Drivers education teaches countless skills such as driving in different situations, the laws of the road and defensive driving. These skills are things that will be used almost everyday.