The Importance of Safe Driving and Drivers Education

In my short time of driving it is apparent how dangerous it can be to be on the roads and be out there driving. It only gets scarier though when you know the statistics of driving accidents and fatalities.

In the year of 2022 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had released that the estimation of traffic related deaths were 31785 people in the first nine months of the year. Most if not all of these deaths were preventable just through safe driving, but most people believe that nothing will happen to them, they will be completely fine, but that’s what most people probably thought, until they got hit and killed.

Though there are many factors that can come into play when there are car accidents there is one that towers above them all, and that would be distracted driving. Distracted driving consists of several different types of factors and distractions, some of these being, people, pets, food, or the regularly mentioned phone. Though that seems narrow, truly distracted driving is anytime that a driver is not giving his, hers, or their full attention to the road and what is going on around them. One of the biggest steps that we as a community can take to reduce the number of deaths caused and related to driving would be to put down our phones, put down the food, ask friends to not be distracting, and just give your full attention to the road and your surrounding area. Another option, which in my own opinion should be required, is to have every new driver take a Drivers Education course before getting their license. This class teaches you everything you need to know about driving on the road and how to protect yourself but also others while you drive, it helps with being nervous and it helps you learn how to actually drive and control your emotions and your speed and anxiety while you drive.

Drivers Education is the most beneficial course out there when it comes to driving, a total of 24 hours both in driving and in a class to learn all the statistics of being on the road and learn the rules of the road. For example, the set speed limit actually does not apply when the weather is not good, the set speed limit is meant for clear and nice weather. As an example on I-390, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, but that is assuming that the roads are clear and it is ideal driving conditions, if it is snowing, or raining, or there is a mass amount of wind, you should reduce your speed, you can also get a ticket from this if you go 55 or over in unideal conditions. Though this is a fact largely unknown by most. Drivers Education also puts you in the driver’s seat immediately, it makes you have to be comfortable driving both with an instructor but also with other people in the car, it also teaches you maneuvers and how to get out of situations and keep yourself and those in your car safe, and example of this being that you should always keep a cushion between yourself and the car in front of you. The last thing that you want to happen is for you to be right behind someone and have them make a sudden stop due to an animal or person running into the street and you slam into them because you were too close to them.

Now personally I have never been in a car accident, though there is a few times where I have seen others or family members driving unsafely, whether it was speeding or having their phone out while driving there are several different ways that they have been unsafe, luckily nothing has ever happened to make them have an accident but its always the question of what if that happened, what if a car suddenly stopped. There’s no telling what could have happened or if I would even be writing this. In terms of things that have happened with unsafe driving though is that my own father has been pulled over a few times for speeding, one of the most notable for myself was when we were on our way to a camping trip for Boy Scouts. While I didn’t truly understand the implications at the time, now I understand that it was dangerous, even if there were no cars around, with animals around the area one could have easily run out in front of the car and that would have been even worse than just getting pulled over.

Now, with all this information, how does it matter, how am I doing to stay safer, to be a better driver, and what am I doing to teach others and make others safer? What steps am I taking? Well first, I’m driving whenever I get the chance, the best way to get better and safer at driving is to practice and drive yourself. Though whenever I am not driving I make sure to pay attention to the surrounding areas, keep track of other cars, watch the light, if we turn on a corner I make sure I am looking around as well just as a double check in case something happens suddenly or a car comes out of nowhere. As for helping others when I ride in the car with my other friends I make sure to stay quiet and undistracting, and I reinforce this with my other friends. My best friend is especially very skittish when it comes to his sister driving, in which I then calm him down and gently encourage her to continue and I will help and guide her through somethings that she doesn’t understand as she and her brother drive a manual transmission car and some of the things scare her when driving it. Though my final step on how I am going to continue to get better at driving and to drive safely is that I am going to follow the speed limit and the rules of the road but also keep my emotions in check when driving, because road rage by itself is extremely dangerous, but I will also continue to leave my phone down and not checking it while I am driving for there is nothing that could be more important than keeping others and myself alive while driving. It is always important to remember that there is more time to answer a text or a message, but only if you’re alive to respond.

Drive careful and drive safe, it doesn’t matter if people want to speed ahead of you, it isn’t worth it to speed and crash when you can go the speed limit and stay safe, and if you are a new driver looking for advice and reading this, take a drivers ed course, it will be the most beneficial to you.