Drive Safe, We Need You Here

Driver education is one of the most important classes we need in today’s society. Being in charge of a vehicle is an immense responsibility and people need to realize that they are responsible for not only their safety but the safety of others on the road. The death rate from vehicle accidents is so unbelievably high, learning safe driving skills would greatly help to lower that number. When taking a driver education course they teach awareness and safety, if more people used these classes to their advantage, I believe the number of deaths from accidents would be reduced.

To reduce the number of fatalities caused by driving, individuals can take these driver education courses to look for safe driving practices. They can learn about the dangers of distracted driving, drunk driving, and reckless driving. There are also certain insurance companies that have apps to run in the background while someone is driving to monitor the safety of their commute. Another way to reduce traffic-related fatalities is to put distractions away. Most cell phones these days have the option to automatically put one’s cell phone on “do not disturb while driving”. The way it works is that when the phone detects motion similar or equivalent to driving, it will automatically turn off notifications. This can help deter individuals from using their phones while driving. Lastly, another good way to decrease fatalities while driving is by turning down the music, wearing a seatbelt, and following speed limits. Speed limits are not just a suggestion, they show the maximum safe speed for the road that someone is driving on. Moreover, seatbelts are an important safety feature in every vehicle. Wearing a seatbelt can increase the chances of survival if involved in a major accident. Also, listening to loud music can make it hard to be aware of the surroundings while driving. A driver will not be able to hear a horn going off as a warning when in an intersection or merging. These are just a few ways drivers can lower the death by vehicle rate.

Safe driving has always been important to me and my family. Years ago my grandmother, mother and I were in a tragic accident caused by a driver who was not paying attention to their surroundings. During this accident, my mother passed away. The aftermath of losing somebody you love to an unsafe driver is a long and hard road. It is full of anger, resentment, and sadness. If only more people realized how big of an impact their driving is on others on the road as well. Following laws and paying attention to road signs can make a difference in whether somebody lives or dies. Most people see these fatalities and never think anything of the numbers, but when someone you loved is now one of those numbers, it is hard to fathom how people can be so dangerous while driving.

Personally, I focus really hard on driving safely. When I started driving I told myself I could never be responsible for hurting someone else due to my actions. Over time though, my confidence in my driving skills got higher and I noticed some of my once-safe practices started to become less safe. I noticed myself getting easily distracted. That is when I started to use the automatic “do not disturb while driving” feature on my phone that I had previously mentioned. This has helped tremendously to bring my focus back onto the road and my surroundings. Coming from a generation that does not leave the house without their phone, the distraction of having your phone while driving is simply becoming a major issue. I think this feature has helped me become a safer driver, and I think if more people on the road used it there would be less fatalities caused by distracted driving. Maybe in the future, driver education courses can include this in their material. When I was going through driver education this was not mentioned, I think if that were to change it could save many lives.

Another important way to help drivers become safer on the road is to make driver education easily accessible. Where I live, there were not many driver education classes. I know some high schools offer it, and the DMV has it as well. What I did not know is that there are online driver education courses that anyone can take. Considering I was not aware of an online option, promoting the online courses could be beneficial. It would be easier for many individuals to take the course online if they have a busy schedule. Promoting online driver education courses could lead to more people taking the course and learning valuable safe driving lessons from it.

Overall, safe driving is one of the most important things an individual can learn. Ensuring the safety of yourself and being aware of your surroundings can save a life. Unsafe driving costs thousands of lives each year. It is time for that to change. Be responsible, take a driver education course, practice safe driving, and save a life.