Putting an End to Driving into One’s Grave: How to Stay Safe When on the Road

Driver
Education Initiative Award

Putting
an End to Driving into One’s Grave: How to Stay Safe When on the
Road

By
Blake Pariseau

The
importance in drivers ed in reducing the number of deaths due
to driving is that the education portion is centered around teaching
new drivers that driving is a privilege which holds many
responsibilities; one mistake can cost a life or more. Driver
education should be centered not only around what the fundamentals of
driving are but also what the risks are that coincide with driving.
After all, when new drivers start out in the classroom prior to
getting behind the wheel, the primary focus is on how to drive but
also how to drive smart. Now, as far as what can be done to reduce
the number of deaths while driving, I feel that what must continue is
the typical education of how to check one’s vehicle for internal
and external damage as well as how to avoid getting into crashes.
What I personally remember being exposed to in the classroom and what
should either increase or remain the same is being exposed to the
reality of what happens when negligence takes control of the driver.
I remember being shown either staged clips of distracted driving or
episodes of Red
Asphalt
which showed real footage since the 1950s of actual accidents and
their cleanups by first responders on the road. One effective method
to education is the use of fear because fear, if harnessed properly,
can be used to teach what happens when the curriculum or techniques
being learned aren’t followed properly. On another personal
anecdote, I have not witnessed an accident before, but I was involved
with a minor bus crash in kindergarten when my school bus lightly
crashed into a pickup truck in front of us. Other than that, I have
had some close calls while behind the wheel due to a lack of
concentration. At times when I ride in the passenger seat while
driving with my mom, my mom will be on her phone at some stop lights
and when the light turns green, I always quickly remind her that the
light has turned green. The difference that I can make to prevent
further deaths from driving should not be limited to me reminding my
friends or family to drive safe or reminding myself to drive safe but
that I should further my knowledge of driving techniques to new
drivers and to make it a priority to not drive distracted or
intoxicated when either I’m driving or when I’m riding in the car
with friends or family. Overall, I believe that reducing the number
of deaths due to driving is something that is easily attainable and
only requires improvements in drivers ed as well as living up
to those improvements and putting in place some strong
self-discipline to ensure that distracted or intoxicated driving can
be reduced entirely.