Drivers Ed Saves Lives

Before anyone can get behind the wheel of a car and travel somewhere, they must first learn the proper way to drive a vehicle on the road, usually by taking drivers ed courses. Driver education plays a crucial role in reducing the number of deaths resulting from driving. It equips drivers with the basic road knowledge, higher order skills, and safety practices, which can lead to better decision-making and responsible driving habits. Though, to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, several improvements must be made. This essay will discuss the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving, steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, an experience of being in car accident, and the steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver as well as helping others become safer on the road. 

Driver education is an important in reducing the number of deaths related to driving. Before you take the test to get a permit, a driver must have the needed skills taught by either a parent or a driving professional with in-vehicle instruction, or a driving classes. Understanding the traffic laws and abiding by the road signs at a given time also greatly reduces the number of deaths while driving. My experience with being in a car accident happened when I was very young, but I remember everything that I felt, seen, and thought vividly. I was being dropped off at school early one morning when all of a sudden, the car I’m in get pushed off the road and straight into a neighborhood entryway sign. I remember telling my mom that the old lady behind the wheel doesn’t need to be driving anymore. I also remember going up to this building with a lot of nice people dressed in scrubs and getting massages and neck adjustments by the chiropractor for the accident, and thinking, “Free massages. What a life.” I am so blessed to had been able to survive the crash, as many people don’t always make it out alive.

Being in college means that I am surrounded by my peers who are still young and have no parental control while living on campus, thus resulting in a lot of different vehicular accidents. Although I have no control over the other students on campus and their driving habits, I am able to communicate to my friends the importance of driver’s safety, no matter how many times they tell me I sound like a mom. Any group and I of friends I am hanging out with at that time also make sure to be safe while we are carpooling, as it is more of a risk being responsible for the lives of other people. One experience that I had with one of my friends driving was when he had everyone in the car suspended in the air for 3 seconds when he drove over a dip in the road a little too quickly. It shocked everyone in the car, and after we came to what had happened we switched out drivers to avoid any other incidents again that night.

Some steps that I can take to becoming a better driver on the road is to defensively drive. What the driving instructors do not teach you in classes is how other people drive on the road, how that impacts you, and what you can do to teach the driver behind you how to abide by the law better and safer. For example, if I had someone that was driving extremely close to my car and not the one car length rule, instead of doing a break check which could lead to another incident, I simply take my foot off of the gas, and allow my car to slow down, giving the tailgater the hint that they need to give me some space. Another way that I can drive safer on the road is by getting a phone stand for my car. Whenever I am traveling somewhere where I don’t know the directions to, I’ll use my GPS but my phone will be in my hand which is not the safest way to drive. Having a phone stand that can protect my phone from the Texas sun and provide the spoken directions will assist in bettering my safety on the road. Everyday I’m doing my part to making sure that I am driving safely on the road to decrease the likelihood of a vehicular accident.