Name: Ellie Witt
From: Salem, Wisconsin
Votes: 0
Ellie
Witt
5
November 2019
The
Importance of Driving Safely
I
remember the first time I sat down in my drivers ed course.
Immediately after everyone took their seats, the instructor began to
introduce himself. After his introduction, he showed us an eight
minute long video showing fatal crash after fatal crash. It really
helped me to understand, right there, the importance of being a safe
and responsible driver. One second you can be laughing and singing
loudly with your friends, and the next you could be rolled over in a
ditch barely holding onto life. I know that scenario is sad, but
that is the only way to show how safe drivers need to be in order to
keep us out of life-threatening situations behind the wheel.
Did
you know that nearly 1.25 million people worldwide die in car
accidents each year? We need to continue to focus on cutting this
number down. Humans need to be more responsible with their driving
actions and there are many ways we can do that. Distracted driving
is one of the biggest causes of these accidents, whether it is the
use phones or drunk driving, they are equally as dangerous. Some of
the ways we can reduce the number of deaths, as a result of driving,
is by keeping more kids focused in drivers ed courses.
Drivers
education courses are where teenagers really take the next step in
their young adult life, with freedom of the road. Most of them do
not take it as seriously as they should because the courses are very
self-explanatory and easy. Everyone that goes through the course
needs to be properly taught on how to operate a car in the safest
manner. I feel the course does not put us into situations that lead
us to being able to learn more about safe driving technique. Looking
back on when my driving instructor showed us that video about fatal
crashes, it really helped put me in mindset how important driving is.
Responsibility really begins at this stage in life because getting
behind the wheel can be dangerous. In my opinion, a car is a weapon
and drivers ed class instructors really need to engrain that
idea into the minds of these new drivers.
The
steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to
driving are by turning off your cell phone, staying focused, and
following all the rules of the road. You also have to be a defensive
driver and understand that not everybody on the road knows what they
are doing and you have to always be wary of them. I was personally
taught that you need to pretend that every driver on the road is a
beginner and you need to be aware of any fatal move they could make,
never trust anyone. Now, to help reduce deaths by accident, we can
put away our cellular devices and turn them on “Do Not Disturb.”
This way you, as a driver, will not be tempted to grab it to pick up
a call or answer a text, which is a fatal mistake. Another way of
reducing deaths by accident is by keeping your eyes focused on road
signs, for example speed limit signs, “Do Not Enter” signs, etc.
Signs are very important to read in general, as well, because if you
need to get off the expressway at the next exit, you need to know
when and where that is.
Fortunately,
I have not been in an accident and I hope to keep it that way, but I
have seen some of my friends driving irresponsibly. I have noticed
them texting and/or speeding while driving. If I am ever in the car
during one of these incidents I take the phone away from them and
tell them to slow down. One, speeding tickets are not fun to pay for
and two, getting into a fatal accident is even worse.
The
steps I can take to become a safer driver is to focus all my
attention on driving, not speed, and to plan ahead. The reason I say
plan ahead is because if you are running behind, you are more likely
to speed and/or be too stressed, which leads to unsafe driving and
can cause an accident. A person behind the wheel of a vehicle always
needs to be aware. Some things that can cause unawareness is if you
are drunk, texting, or listening to super loud music. Personally, I
always keep my music volume to a minimum, which is a safe behavior.
Driving
is a vital part of everyday life because everyone is always in need
of getting from one place to the next, so by helping people become
better, safer drivers we can limit the number of deaths caused by
driving accidents. I hope I have taught you a little something about
the need to become a safer driver in the future, thank you.
