The Importance of Driver’s Education

The importance of road safety and driver education in reducing the number of death as a result of driving is very high since car accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States. Driving education makes people aware of the rules of the road and how to become the best and safest driver. Driver education does not only provide knowledge but also provides people with experience and gives them the confidence to get their license and avoid mistakes that could lead to any accidents. If people were to receive driver education they would follow regulations on driving and follow the rules on the road, therefore, there would be a decrease in accident deaths. If the deaths from car accidents were reduced, many people’s car/road anxiety would minimize as they would have nothing to fear. Ridding of those anxious feelings would also decrease the number of deaths on the road as well. I have struggled to drive on the road and have been constantly pressured to do so because I would not be able to get anywhere without being able to drive. My anxiety has also caused me many instances in which I could have been in a very bad crash. But I have only experienced being in a car accident once. It seemed to have happened instantly and out of nowhere. It was caused by my dad being distracted and having a conversation while on the road. This conversation he was deeply interested in caused him to accidentally run a red light and T-bone another car. I remember being extremely anxious and not wanting to experience something like that again. My dad has had a few other instances in which he was distracted and crashed or almost crashed. In none of them was I or any of my family members in the car. But there have been multiple times when I was in a car with one of my parents or a friend and they were distracted and almost crashed or they would speed over the speed limit to be funny or even accidentally. This is why people must follow rules to reduce the number of deaths related to cars. There can be many things that can be done and avoided. For starters, people should mainly avoid all distractions. Distractions could include talking with friends or family members while driving, listening to music, being on your phone, eating, and arguing. Distractions could cause you to swerve, run lights, go over or under the speed limit, or not notice your surroundings, like a car backing out of their driveway. Another major thing to avoid is being under the influence of anything while driving. This would include alcohol and drugs. When under the influence, you do not have your complete senses and could crash into other cars or things. Many car accident deaths have been caused by a person being drunk and taking the decision to drive on the road, even worse if it’s during the night. Lastly, a person should not drive while tired. Driving while tired could be compared to being under the influence, you do not have your complete senses in either situation. Being tired while driving could cause you to swerve off the road, or crash into another car, or anything else by the road. If a person is tired while driving long distances they should stop at a resting area and sleep before starting to drive again. This could avoid any of the horrible scenarios. I have to also contribute to safety on the roads and follow my advice. I first need to be confident on the road to avoid any bad occurrences. Not being confident in the road could cause me to be under the speed limit, which is as bad as being over the speed limit, or cause crashes by my uncertainty. After I get over my road anxiety I should make sure to be on the speed limit while on the road, avoid distractions, and not be under the influence of anything. I should also only drive if I have a license or a permit that allows me to be on the road and avoid any trouble with the law as well. After I achieve all of this, I will contribute to the safety of roads and will decrease, even by a small percentage, the deaths caused by car accidents. But if people were to obey the laws of the road and get driver’s education, that percentage could decrease by a lot more! Therefore, concluding that driver education is important to receive!