In the Driver’s seat

The first thing my mom and dad said to me when I started driving was to watch out for everyone else around me. At first, I though they were just being over protective but as I started driving I realized what they were talking about. I saw people on their cell phones swerving all over the road. I saw other people looking around not paying attention to the road in front of them. I saw people speed up and run through so many red lights.

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths is reminding people they are not invincible. As you drive you need to be aware that one wrong move could cost you or someone else their life. Paying attention to the road in front of you should be the main priority with of course looking in your side and rear-view mirror when changing lanes or just to check every so often.

I know that most people would like to just get where they are going but as a driver you have to have patience. Following the laws is something I can’t stress enough. I have seen so many people just run redlights, just go straight through and my heart stops every time that happens because they could have gotten into an accident.

One of the most important things to do when you get into the car is to turn off your cellphone. Let those know you will be driving, and you are turning it on silent mode for safety purposes, keep your eyes on the road at all times, pay attention to where the yield signs and stop signs are. If you see a yellow light do not try to make it through, safely stop and wait for the light to turn green.

My sister was in a car accident years ago and what had happened was she was turning left onto a road when a truck came out of nowhere and slammed right into the front of her car. When I got the call she was in an accident my heart stopped and I thought the worst. When I saw the car I was so shocked that she only came out with some bruises and some scraps. The guy who had hit her was not paying attention and he was way over the speed limit.

I can be a better driver by being more patient when it comes to getting where I need to go. Especially when I head to work. Traffic in the mornings can be a little hectic so I will work on being more patient. For others, I would say educating those on remembering to use your turn signal, making sure you are at a complete stop when coming to a stop sign. I have seen people do a “rolling” stop and that is when they do not fully stop kind of like a yield sign. Making it aware again the laws of the road and why we follow them in the first place.

I feel as though holding free classes to teach people about these things would be a good idea as well. Sometimes people do need a refresher and that is nothing to be ashamed of, especially if it is to keep their selves and others safe on the road. I also think that sometimes people have a lot of anger when it comes to driving and that should be commented on too. While I know sometimes we just want to get to our destination we have to think about everyone around us.

Especially when it rains or snows or there is a ton of ice laying on the road. Then as we drive we have to make sure we are going at the appropriate speed and if we can’t make the speed limit then we need to make sure our hazard lights our on to warn those around us. That will help alert other drivers that we are at this speed and we cannot go any faster. When it rains, we have to be careful about hydroplaning.

Educating ourselves and others on these topics can greatly reduce the number of deaths we see all the time due to driving accidents. Every time you get in the car you need to remind yourself that it is to be taken very seriously and we need to make sure we do everything right so we can get to our destinations safely. No text message or going over the speed limit is worth not making it home. Think very deeply about that next time it may seem “funny” to race your friend or pick up your phone to check a message.