Driver’s Education and Safety

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in a car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road? 750 Words

If someone learns how to use a dangerous object, the user controls the danger. When a construction worker uses a power saw, he knows how to use it and rarely cuts himself. On the other hand, a child cannot control a saw as much, and he is more likely to hurt himself or others. Vehicles also have dangerous potential, and people who do not know how to use them cannot protect themselves or others on the road. Likewise, when a driver does know how to use his vehicle, everybody is safer on the road. When you do not know how to use a car, you are more likely to drive into stationary objects, such as light poles, roadside telephones, or other cars. You might also run into pedestrians, either on crosswalks or on sidewalks.

To make car accidents rarer, people should be required to take a driver’s education class in order to receive their driver’s licenses, no matter their age. I know many people who waited until they could acquire their license without driving practice in order to avoid having to enroll in driver training. Those people are not always safe drivers. Another way to prevent accidents is to require automobile manufacturers to improve or update their vehicle safety protocols whenever possible. For instance, according to the Wisconsin Public Radio and to the United States Department of Transportation, the first seat belt was sold in the year 1949 by Nash Motors Company, but it was ten years before the automobile manufacturer Volvo made a design that was widely sold and adopted by other manufacturers.

I have never been in a car accident, and I have a family of safe drivers, but I have seen people close to me driving recklessly. For example, I would not trust one of my classmates to drive me safely around town because he nearly ran over my sister in my school’s parking lot. Reckless drivers are some of the most dangerous people on the road, and I have often seen small, visibly damaged cars cut across traffic to use exits that they have already passed.

A family friend was once in a devastating auto accident. During the insurance company’s investigation into the circumstances of the crash, the investigators found that the woman’s radio was switched off. She also had her phone off, and it was sitting on the console when the crash happened. There was food sitting beside her on the seat, but the box was sealed. She had a blood alcohol content of 0.0%. All of these actions in the investigation were able to prove that our friend was not distracted by her phone, radio, or food and thus not at fault in the accident. Of course, this incident also proves that even if you are paying attention to the road, you can still be in an accident, but this woman was keeping the road that much safer by staying alert and avoiding distractions.

One way to be a safer driver is to make sure to always check your surroundings, not just watch what is happening in front of you on the road. If you brake too hard or too fast, there might be a car too close behind you that could crash into you. There are countless dangers on the road, and the best way to avoid them is to pay attention to everything that you can. To aid your attention to the road, you should not wear hooded jackets, listen to music on your earbuds, or hold intense conversations while driving. You should stay off the phone and radio, and you should not eat while driving. To keep others safe on the road, you should make sure your vehicle is in proper condition and good working order, use the proper signals while driving, and know the proper procedures for pulling over if and when your vehicle breaks down. If you pass your exit, do not cut others off to enter the lane that you need to be in. Instead, make your way to the next exit as safely as possible and drive the speed limit to your destination.

There are many dangers on the road and off of it. Without laws, we cannot guarantee a minimum level of safety. Without drivers who obey the laws, it is impossible to guarantee safety at all. More people should take a driver’s education class. This would foster a safer driving environment and experience. More people should turn off their entertainment and focus on the real world of driving.