Saftey Of Drivers Education

In America there are an unbelievable number of accidents that happen on the road. What some people think is rare is completely the opposite, over 34,000 people on average die each year in America due to a result from driving. Driving accidents are very deadly so the question remains, how can we reduce the number of injuries or deaths on the road? First let’s talk about driver education to help reduce the number of accidents on the road.

Driver education is the most important concept when it comes to understanding the road and how to transverse it. You learn all the basics that’s needed to follow and understand road signs, road lights, 4 way stops, etc. All these things have different rules that not just you, but everyone else on the road needs to follow. If you don’t have these basics concepts down, you’ll be lost on the road and will end up making a mistake and running into someone else, whether it be someone in a car or a pedestrian it can be a very unforgiving thing. I remember when I was starting out driving, it was very scary when I had to switch lanes, I kept on slowing down putting my blinker on and then moved lanes. Another thing I struggled with was turning right on red. I always sat at a red light when turning red even when no cars were coming. Embarrassing I know, but at that time I had no idea you could turn right on red because we never covered that in my driver’s education class, I learned it from my mother who was helping me get the hang of the road. If I had been taught the right way in a strict manner, given the advice and knowledge I needed, I might not have made stupid mistakes. I believe that I was not the only one who was taught this way, so I think we should inform new drivers in drivers’ education on how to feel the road. Making new drivers understand the basic rules of the road instead of a textbook definition or understanding would reduce deaths and injuries. But what are the rules of the road that we can teach them step by step?

When talking about step-by-step measures to help reduce the number of deaths that result from driving, we talk about following traffic laws, like at a traffic light or a stop sign. But what can we do in general that will reduce deaths in any situation? Step 1 should be to always make sure of what you’re doing and be patient. Driving defensively and being patient is very important when it comes to safety, an example being missing your right turn. Instead of bashing your way over there causing mayhem to everyone else in the road, take a minute to turn around and route your way there, same thing goes from the highway or interstate. Instead of cutting 4 lanes to get to your exit because you forgot to get in the right lane, just get off at the next exit. It’s very important to be patient and understand every action you do on the road as it could mean life or death for you, or for someone else. Step 2 is to focus. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s a very important step, many drivers today get into accidents because of their phones, or they’re distracted doing something else in their car. When you’re driving take responsibility and don’t get distracted, keep your phone away from you and wait until you are done driving to touch it. It’s better to miss a text message than to get into a fatal crash! The last step I’ll talk about is to keep your distance. You never know when the car in front of you will hit the brakes. Even if you’re going 25 mph if the car in front of you hits their brakes and you’re only 10 feet behind them you won’t have time to react. You may have heard the term the 3-second rule. This means that if the car in front of you stops, you have 3 seconds to react and stop as well. It’s very important to do this because everyone behind you needs to know when to stop too. If you follow too closely and swerve, the person behind you will not be able to react and may crash into someone. You can never be too cautious when it comes to driving. And when it comes to me I have been in a small accident.

I was in a small accident that happened very close to home, I was very relaxed and was just going around the block to pick up my little sister. It was almost night, and the sun was facing my direction blinding me, I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the front of me because of the sun. I turned left and my right bumper hit the left side of the car. It was a very scary experience because it’s the first accident I’ve been in a small but avoidable one. I quickly shared my insurance with the person I hit, called the police and we got each other’s information. I learned from that experience to always be focused on the road and never be relaxed, I needed to look left and right a couple times before going to avoid any chance at an accident, as it could mean my life if I got into a wreck on the interstate or highway. It was a very chilling experience, but I grew because of it. Now I’m a lot more careful than I once was and understand the importance of always checking more than once. But what steps did I take to fix my mistake on the road?

Some of the steps I took and some steps anyone can take to be a better and safer driver is to always know what’s going on in the road, always know if there is someone coming in your direction. If something is blocking your view of some of the road, wait and make sure no one comes from behind it. In addition to that never assume you can make a turn because a car is a little way away. You need to be 100% sure you can make a turn before you do it, because if you’re not you are at risk of an accident. It saves you and the person you waited to drive past you. It’s a win – win situation. Just being focused on the road, patient and defensive when it comes to driving on the road, you can be very safe and keep others safe as well.

Overall, there are too many deaths happening on the road in America. All of these can be avoided if given proper drivers’ education, and with some experience with rules on the road. I’ve had my fair share of experiences with people who have gotten into crashes, and experiences that I caused from my own mistake. I hope that in the future there will be more of a movement to help educate people more on the road and more ways to prevent drivers from meeting a terrible fate. Thank you for reading this essay about the importance of drivers’ safety.