Driving is Claiming Lives

Driving is a fun thing to do, but there are a lot of responsibilities that come along with it. Many people have been killed due to driving. Many of those deaths could have been prevented by drivers paying attention to the road, or by going the speed limit. Experienced drivers tend to forget about the safety rules of driving, they think they have years of experience, so they don’t need to follow all the rules. This is far from true. Driver’s education is a great tool to have.

The most important part of driver education is teaching people about the dangers of risky driving. They show what happens to drivers when they are distracted or when they do not follow the rules of the road. They are able to educate soon to be drivers on the dangers of driving. New drivers are taught what happens when people are not paying full attention to the road, or when they are not following at a safe distance. In drivers’ education, soon to be drivers are taught all the rules of the road, so they can follow them, and be safe while on the road. Everything they are taught is to keep them safe while they are in vehicles. 

One step that can be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths is having people know all of the repercussions of what happens when they cause an accident on the road. The drivers need to know what is going to happen if they get into an accident, cause an accident, hit a pedestrian, and other possibilities when driving. This is going to help them know their actions affect more than just themselves, it affects everyone on the roads. When drivers understand this, it will give them important knowledge to have when they are driving. Another step that can be taken is to have people put their phones away from them while they drive. Everyone is tempted to look at their phone when they are driving. When people don’t have their phones on them, they are forced to focus on something else. This will help them to focus on the more important task of driving safely. A third task that drivers can do to reduce deaths tied to driving is to have them be aware of their surroundings. Older drivers tend to forget about all the safety rules of driving, so make sure the students know that it is always important to pay attention to your surroundings. New drivers need to make sure they are always scanning their environment so they can drive safely. When they know their environment, they will be able to make decisions based on other drivers. Sometimes people will tailgate you, which is dangerous, but if they are, you will be able to make a choice on what you will do to keep you safe. It would also help to make sure passengers know that you need to have your attention on the road. The photo or video they want to show you, that can wait. If they need you to look for something, tell them you can’t while you drive, but you can pull over and look. It can be dangerous when your passengers distract you, so make sure they are not taking your attention off the road. If you have kids, try to have another adult in the car to help with the kids, this will allow you to focus on the road. 

There have been many close incidents while one of my family members was driving. They didn’t have their full attention on the road and had to slam on the brakes in order to not hit the car in front of us. The passengers in the car needed something, and the driver was looking for it. When the driver looked up, they barely had enough time to hit the brakes. They had to swerve into the median because they were getting too close to the car. Another time we had a close call was when we were coming home from Las Vegas. We were on the freeway, and the driver was not looking at the road. When they looked at the road, traffic was stopped in the lane we were in. The driver had to swerve into the right lane in order to not crash. If there had been a car in the right lane, we surely would have crashed. I have seen some of my family members drive irresponsibly multiple times. One member of my family has the tendency to take their eyes off the road and look at buildings we are passing.That family member will also look at their phone, apple watch, or iPad. Since the driver isn’t watching the road, the car ends up swerving into other lanes, and goes over the rumble strips, which isn’t safe.  

Steps I can take to be a better and safer driver is to show others what it looks like to be a safe driver. I will make sure my phone is not something that will distract me, whether that is turning it off completely or having it in the backseat where I can’t reach it. I will make sure my passengers know that my attention needs to be on the road, so I will not be looking at or for anything. One thing I will do is to have someone switch me if I need a break. This way there is a new driver who isn’t tired. I will be an example of what it looks like to be a driver who wants to keep every driver safe. I can help my family be safer drivers by informing them that their driving needs help in order to keep all drivers on the road safe. I am going to be the one that helps them realize they are not driving safely, and they have gotten too lax in their driving capabilities.