Head on a Swivel

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths is more education and practice. I believe the key to that education is having an instructor that makes it safe, fun and interesting. He would share stories of things he has done or witnessed that made you think about what type of driver you were going to be. Drivers education is where I learned the rules of the road and basic driving maneuvers. In addition, they teach you about not engaging in texting, phone calls, overloading car with friends, as all these things are a distraction, and you are not paying attention to the road. Naturally, you also learn the road signs and their significance. Regarding road signs, one particular incident occurred in my group. The instructor pointed out a few road signs to see if we knew what they were. We came to one of the signs which indicates ‘slippery when wet’, it shows the image of a car with tire marks sliding. The girl in the back seat yelled out, “it means snakes on the road?”. At first the instructor thought she was kidding, but that is what she really thought it meant. He took the time to explain to us, besides studying the manual, to not guess but think why there is a ‘warning’ sign and what it means to you as a driver. It may seem trivial, but that small piece of information was educational to that girl and anyone else who was not aware. He did however call her ‘snakes’ for the remainder of the class.

I feel the steps that need to be taken to reduce deaths, as a result of driving is what you do next. Once you get out of the classroom the adults that continue teaching you to get your driving time in, need to re-enforce everything you learned and then some. I have to thank my mother for the work she put into teaching me to drive. I played football and hockey and there is a saying, ‘keep your head on a swivel’, meaning look all around you and be aware of your surroundings. Driving is not any different, and my mother helped me do that as well when I am driving. I consider myself a defensive driver. It has improved my ability to ‘read’ traffic and other driver’s actions, which in turn has help me with my reaction time to avoid an accident.

Before I was eligible to drive, we were in a bad car accident. We were stopped in traffic as we were waiting for the car up front to make a left turn. The car that was approaching, slammed into us. She did not see that we were stopped, she didn’t apply the brake to stop, our car stopped her. We were in a van, the one that has 3 rows of seats and the small trunk area. The car that hit us, crushed in our van just shy of the second row. My mom and I were taken to the hospital. Although we did not sustain serious injuries, my mother had a bad case of whiplash, but luckily I had a minor back sprain. We were also fortunate that a woman who was passing by the accident site, was a nurse, she helped my mother and I to first assess the injuries and to calm us down. As it turns out, the girl that hit us, was texting and did not see us stopped until it was too late. What was unfortunate about this whole situation, we learned, this was not her first serious accident. Apparently she did not learn from her past. The next few months for us was dealing with insurances and finding a new vehicle. That was a stressful time.

The steps I am taking to be a better driver is to continue being a defensive driver and not get complacent. Another thing that I do for safety, before I even start driving, besides wearing a seatbelt, is checking my vehicle. I check the tires, the fluids and the best I can, check my lights. When I’m the passenger, I try not to be a ‘back seat driver’ but I tend to ask the driver about another vehicle. I try to be subtle about it for example I’ll say “looks like that guy is in a rush, I wonder if he is going to stop?”. I try not to distract the driver, I have told some of them they don’t need to look at me when they talk, that seems funny to them, but they understand why I’m saying it.