More Education, More Saved Lives

Driver’s education is of ample importance. There is an increasing need for better education for new drivers and drivers who have proven to have faulty driving capabilities or judgment. Populations are all increasing and roads are only becoming busier and busier as time goes on. The tragedies that happened because of car wrecks are so sad to see on the news and in family and friends. I know of three people whom I grew up with so far who have passed away from motorized vehicle crashes. I truly believe that if they and the other drivers on the road were more educated about driving, its dangers, and how to navigate difficult conditions they would have had the chance to survive and live a long life full of prosperity. For my close family friends who passed away, hydroplaned, or slipped off of the road because of rainy conditions.

I do not think that there is enough educational information on how new drivers and drivers, in general, can navigate weather conditions in a vehicle safely. I believe that requiring in-person driving training that includes how to handle weather conditions would help to reduce the number of deaths significantly. All too often, it is seen on the news about a high school kid or a college kid hydroplaning and sadly passing away. I believe that if they were given education about weather conditions and driving it would help to reduce fatalities greatly. Another step I believe we can take is raising the age between getting one’s learner’s license and their actual driver’s license. There needs to be more time for on-the-road experience and more time for new drivers to be educated about the world they are about to enter as new drivers.

It is quite easy to ignore a problem unless it has affected you personally. I have been in a car accident before with an 18-wheeler truck. My dad was driving me home after picking me up from school. We were in the far right lane and the 18-wheeler truck slowly started to move over into our lane. My dad had tried to avoid a serious collision by slowing down. However the car on the back right side of the 18-wheeler snagged the front left bumper of my dad’s jeep and we were then sent to the curb attached to the 18-wheeler. The left bumper flew over the top of the windshield as it popped off from the weight of carrying a whole car. The driver of the 18-wheeler did not even notice what was happening. It took multiple times of my dad honking the horn for an extended amount of time for the driver of the 18-wheeler to finally realize what had happened and that he had made a mistake. From this encounter, I learned the ample importance of driver safety and how easy it is for things to go wrong on the road.

The steps I can take to be a safer driver and the ways I can help others be safer drivers is by slowing down and educating my friends on slowing down. Many of the time wrecks and fatalities would decrease if people slowed down. When drivers slow down, they have more time to consider their next maneuvers and more time to prevent a wreck. By slowing down, they can also reduce the impact of a car on another car. I struggle with speed as well as with my friends. When I am running a little behind when getting to school or work it is often my first reaction to speed up on the way to compensate for my tardiness. However, by driving faster I am not only risking my life but the lives of others. Therefore, I would slow down and think about what could happen should I keep speeding. Also, I would tell my friends when I see them speeding to slow down because it is not just their lives at stake, it is all the other drivers on the road as well.

In conclusion, I have had experiences with wrecks. I believe that giving learning drivers more time to learn and get experience before getting their license could help with combating driving fatalities as well as more education on how to handle road conditions that are less than ideal. I am guilty of speeding, which is a bad habit that can risk lives. So, my action to help reduce driving fatalities is to raise awareness and slow down and take time to think.