Driving Safely and Steps for Better Driving

Driving is a privilege, not a right. Taking proper precautions on the road better simplifies the driver’s, passenger, and other people on the road’s safety. The importance of driving education is to prepare students and adults for the inevitable dangers on the road. Not all accidents happen on the highway, in fact 20% of car accidents happen on the highway, and 52% of car accidents happen within five miles of a driver’s home (or in a neighborhood). New drivers will of course be introduced to road signs, lane lines, traffic lights, and other main things on the road, while experienced drivers who are on parole and are taking driving class again, will only be taught the things they already know, if not just the bare minimum. Students of all ages still need to know the dangers and precautions needed on the road.

A few steps that can be taken are: A driving test, a paper test (like the permit test but a little challenging), sitting in a vehicle and being taught what to do, and being teached about driving in certain weather conditions. Driving is not for everyone, people who are experienced still treat the road as if they are the only ones on the road, in face even people who do treat the road and other drivers with respect, still end up being in car accidents. Texting and driving has been a main cause of car and vehicle accidents since around 2007, and 9% of car accidents are caused by cell-phones (that’s over 30,000 deaths!) According to The Zebra, looking at a phone while driving increases a driver’s time not looking at the road by 400%. I have a few relatives that would text and drive or at least look at their phone while on the road, and I would watch them and feel a little nervous.

I have been in the vehicle when someone was driving irresponsibly and not following the rules on the road. In most cases this would happen when I was with a different person, like a step-father or something, but in other cases it would be my parents. My parents are amazing drivers and when I’m in the car they do take extra precautions to make sure that I’m safe because I’m their only child, but sometimes they would be on their phone while driving. My parents have been in car accidents before, in fact my dad was in a motorcycle accident and he was the one in the motorcycle, and to think that that will happen to a new driver like me is scary. The idea is that as long as I make sure I follow all the rules on the road and pay attention to what’s in front, behind, and all around me, then I will be safer on the road compared to others.

The road is an unpredictable field of chaos, one of my parents even said that the road is a warzone. After years of watching what happens on the road, even seeing car crash videos on YouTube, I have to say that they are completely right. Driving any motor operated vehicle is dangerous and some require less skill to drive than others, but should still have people old enough to drive. I didn’t start to practice driving until I was an 8th grader, then I stopped for a while, but now I am doing better at driving on the road and backing out of my mother’s driveway. After reading the drivers manual, I realized that driving isn’t just about making sure you and other people are safe, it’s also about looking for what signs and hazards are around you too. There are around 5.4 million pounds of trash left on roads in Washington D.C. meaning that in other states in the US more than an estimated 140 thousand tons of garbage! Not only that but also weather, driving in the rain is common, but still there are lots of hazards when driving in rain. The steps I would take is to make sure I know me and if anyone else in the car is safe, and always be cautious around my vehicle, I don’t want to be involved in any accidents or deal with any paperwork, nobody does. As long as people make sure to constantly pay attention to the road, and be mindful of hazards, pedestrians, oncoming traffic, and stay off their electronics, then there won’t be as much of an issue to accidents like there already is.