The Important Side of Driving

Taking a Drivers Education course is very helpful to incoming drivers and even experienced drivers. This class is not just about reading a textbook and taking tests. It not only gives you material to study and learn, but it also gives you the opportunity to have a hands-on lesson with a one-on-one teacher. Drivers Education is designed to help prepare adolescents for the real world, or in this case for the road. It is not only for those who are barely learning to drive, but it is also for those who already drive. There is always something new to learn, and I promise you will get something out of that class. You will leave the class with a new thing you learned whether it be something from the textbook or from being behind the wheel. This will hopefully show you the correct ways of the road to prevent any incidents. However, it will also prepare you for any future car accidents that may happen.

Being in a car accident is a very terrifying thing that can happen to anyone. Even though I have never been in a serious crash, I have seen someone’s car roll off of the road getting completely totaled. A few years ago I was in the car with my mom in which the car in front of us suddenly went off the road, hitting a mailbox, and proceeded to roll down a hill landing upside down. The police were called and ambulances arrived. It had been raining that morning so the roads were still a little bit wet and the driver claimed to have lost control of the car while her baby cried in the backseat. When the car came to a complete stop, the mother was unable to get out of the car because the seat belt did not want to get undone. The seatbelt had to be cut in order to get her out. Thankfully both the driver and the young baby were unharmed. However, the car was completely destroyed and was taken away never to be seen again. It was a good thing that no other car was involved, but it was definitely scary for the driver and even for those who witnessed it.

The importance of taking a Drivers Education course is usually overlooked. For whatever the reason it may be, teenagers choose not to take a simple class where they learn the rules of the road and how to avoid potential accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that in the year 2020, there were 38,824 deaths total due to a motor vehicle accident. They then released the report for the following year. In 2021, there were a total of 42,915 deaths. That is 4,091 deaths more than the year before. The fatality rate continues to rise every day. Meaning that the chances of someone getting into an accident is constantly rising each time somebody gets behind the wheel. Every day a new person is introduced to driving, whether it is legally or illegally. Regardless of that, there is no way of telling how much that person is familiar with the rules of the road or just the car itself. Because of this, we have very little time to react properly to any sudden movements cars make. Researchers have found that those teens who took a Drivers Education course are less likely to have an accident unlike those who have not taken the course. Therefore, when it comes to reducing the number of deaths caused by driving, one should take any Drivers Education course available to them. That is one step in reducing the number of deaths.

Another step is by actually reading the handbook given to you prior to taking the written portion of the Drivers test. Oftentimes adolescents tend to rely on taking practice tests rather than reading the actual study book that was given to them. Taking practice tests could lead you to pass the written portion, but it will not steer you away from being in an accident. Studying the book will give you all the rules of the road in an understandable way. Having this knowledge will help you be more cautious to yourself and others who may be on the road with you. Along with that, one should practice driving in a car in a safe, unoccupied area where the chances of anybody getting hurt is slim to none. Instead of rushing in and attempting to drive on a busy highway for the first time, it is smarter to start somewhere small and secluded. The biggest step anyone can take to decrease the amount of deaths is to be completely focused on the road and nothing else. That means not being on the phone, eating, drinking, smoking, horseplaying, etc. The leading cause of death involving a car accident is distracted driving. A lot of teens find it cool and unharmful to be on their phones while driving whether it is texting or being on a call. If it is important and necessary to be on the phone then one should pull over to do what one has to do and then continue driving. There are various steps one can take to help, but these are just a few that came to mind.

Those steps mentioned above are steps everyone should take when driving is involved. However, there are certain steps that we individually should follow. These steps may not be the same for everyone, but should be somewhat similar. On behalf of my part, I can do my best to encourage my peers to take a Drivers Education course if it is not too late or even to pay more attention to the road rather than any other distractions. I myself can ensure that my focus stays on the road and only on the road to help keep others safe. A major thing that I am capable of doing is to set a good example to those younger than me who pay attention to my life. Especially my two younger brothers who will eventually get behind the wheel someday. I can encourage them to not only study the handbook completely but to also take a Drivers Education course to slowly learn their way onto the road and become a safe driver.