Awareness When Driving

Transportation holds an essential place in our daily lives. The fastest way to arrive somewhere in one of the cheapest and easiest ways is via cars. However, as the human population increases, the number of cars increases proportionally. With the increase of cars, the traffic increases, which causes new drivers to get anxious in the traffic and may result in fatalities depending on the severity. A lot of young drivers, including myself, may be careless or pretend to be cool by driving only using one hand, which will lead to reckless driving, both, in some cases, affecting the lives of others, as well as the life of themselves. Therefore, inexperienced drivers should spend more time on busy roads with a professional instructor to decrease accidents as much as possible. So the knowledge and the skills the drivers have after driver education are crucial.

According to statistics, Tesla vehicles’ autopilots greatly reduced the number of deaths related to driving. Since not everyone can afford an expensive car like that, inexperienced drivers need to be aware of the consequences of reckless driving. To reduce the number of deaths, drivers need to learn the essentials in driving education courses just like I learned when I first started driving. One of the essentials is being knowledgeable about traffic laws. Not knowing a sign or not knowing how to act when seeing one can lead to fatalities. Also, executing defensive driving techniques such as avoiding hazards as safely as possible in driver education is important. Since a lot of the license tests involve people driving on unbusy roads most of the time, inexperienced drivers may not pay attention to driver education too much (since they know that they will pass the test). So license tests should be in random places instead of on the same roads that people already memorize before taking the driver’s license test. On the day that I scheduled my driving license test, I witnessed a test taker getting on the pavement when turning left to right in front of the test station. These kinds of situations prove that driver’s license tests are not as rigorous as they should be since the driver’s and the people’s lives are dependent on the driver. Similarly, stricter laws will force inexperienced drivers to learn better in driver education as well as force them to be aware of what inexperienced driving can lead to. Implementing all these acts will significantly reduce the number of deaths related to driving.

One of the best examples of what inexperienced driving can lead to is my dad driving a motorcycle for the first time. When I was a few years old, my dad tried to ride the motorcycle for the first time that my cousin’s friend brought to our summerhouse. I wanted to get on the motorcycle with my dad, but thankfully my mom disallowed me since she knew that my dad was inexperienced. About two minutes later, my dad crashed into a wall. Not only he had to pay some money to fix the motorcycle, but also he had to go to the hospital for the bruises on his legs and arms and bleeding throughout his body. My life could have changed forever from a young age if I was riding on the back of the motorcycle with my dad. I am glad that I did not insist on getting on. This is the example I follow when I drive.

Becoming a better and safer driver not only involves my experience in driving but also includes people that drive around me. Since it becomes a really hard situation for me to prevent an accident caused by other people (a car shifting toward me), the other drivers need to be aware of their surroundings as well. One of the biggest leading causes of death is drunk driving. I need to stay sober when driving. When I was a senior at West Haven High School, a guest came in to speak at our school. His life changed forever after that night when he had a few cups of beer at a party. When he wanted to go to a different party with his friends, he crashed into a car after not paying attention to a stop sign going above 100 miles per hour, killing the entire family. Instead of ending up in a party, he was locked in a prison cell since the late 1900s. This is a great example that shows that not only myself but also others need to pay attention on the road. Not only is staying sober one of the essentials, but obeying the speed limits, using the signals when turning, and wearing seatbelts are as important as avoiding drunk driving. Promoting others to drive safely and be aware of their surroundings starts by avoiding the common mistakes myself first. After setting a great example, I can promote driver education for inexperienced drivers. Majority of the people learn to drive and promoting a safe environment is crucial, especially in something as deadly as driving a car if not paid enough attention.