Name: Ashlyn Harriss
From: Edinburg, TX
Votes: 0
When
we drive unsafely, we not only put our lives at risk but the lives of
everyone around us. Driver safety education can be the one thing that
saves us from a crippling or even fatal accident. To avoid this, we
must educate ourselves on driving more cautiously and on driver
safety.
Distracted
driving is without a doubt, one of the main problems we as drivers
face every day. Humans, especially teenagers, tend to get easily
distracted when it comes to having to focus on something for long
amounts of time. In order to stop the boredom or lack of interest we
feel when driving, we turn towards things that we can easily focus
our attention on. We may believe our phones and friends can’t take
our focus off the road, but in actuality they do. Of course,
distracted driving isn’t the only factor contributing to the risks
of operating a vehicle. Many times, weather or the way other people
drive unsafely affect you while driving. What I mean by that is
sometimes you aren’t the one at fault; however, there are still
ways of preventing bad things that happen while driving.
In
order to reduce the risks, we must avoid doing things that may
distract us from the road. Everyone knows the risk of texting while
driving, but most don’t take it to heart or they may think it
doesn’t apply to them. We’ve all watched those sad videos in
drivers ed class, and we’ve all seen what happens when
you take those risks. The aftermath just isn’t worth it! Not only
must we stay focused on the road, but there are many other
preventative measures we can take as drivers. Watching our speed,
always staying alert, wearing our seatbelts at all times, and
avoiding alcohol or any drugs that may affect our state of mind, are
just a few of the things we can and must do.
I
was in a car accident about six months ago. I had just left the store
and was on my way home when it started pouring rain out of nowhere. I
hadn’t been driving by myself that long and it was my first
experience driving in such bad weather. I may have been a little
freaked, but I shook it off and kept driving, which was an extremely
poor decision. Other experienced drivers may have been able to deal
with the weather, but I should’ve known that I couldn’t. I was
coming to a stoplight that had just turned red and I didn’t leave
myself enough time to properly brake. So, I slammed on my brakes to
avoid hitting the car in front of me, causing the car behind to hit
me instead. The roads were slick and I should have anticipated this
and used caution when driving that day. Thankfully, I nor the person
who hit me was hurt.
As
a driver, I have tried to educate myself and have put to practice the
many things I have learned about cautious driving. Practicing and
training yourself to stay focused and alert is something everyone
should do. I believe this is the most important thing anyone can do
when learning to drive.
