Being Smart Behind the Wheel and the Dangers of Distractions

The importance of having a good education about Drivers Ed. is that the more knowledgeable you are, the less likely you are to ignore the rules. If you learn that people on their phones are more likely to get into an accident, then you are more likely to not use your phone while driving. Another reason being knowledgeable is important is because you will know how to properly drive instead of just being out there asking to be hit. If you know how to drive, you can focus more on your surroundings than on what you are doing. If you are able to do that, you can notice stuff that could get you into an accident, like a car that looks like it is trying to go through an intersection (you have the right-of-way) a little too close to you, so you are able to slow down and get ready to brake to avoid an accident. That is only possible because you were able to focus more on the surroundings and not just on a few things like the speedometer, road, and miles per hour.

There are a few steps to prevent deaths from driving. The first step is before you start driving you should finish what you need to with your phone and put it away. The second step is to remove anything that can distract you from view, like hanging it on your mirror or on your dashboard. The third step is to be awake and sober so as to not drive while tired or impaired. The final step is to be well educated in road laws and rules so you are not incompetent and cause an accident because of a mistake.

I have never been in a car accident, but there was a time worth mentioning where I was almost in an accident. This was a time before I was old enough to drive. I, my sister, and my dad are on our way back from a baseball game, and my dad is having my sister drive while he gets some sleep. We were pretty far into the drive and nothing had happened, but while we were next to a semi-truck,. We were in the left lane while the truck was in the right lane. We were right next to the back half of the truck, and he decided to merge into our lane, but because my sister was paying attention, she was able to hit the brakes and pull toward the side of the road so we did not get hit by the truck.

There are a lot of irresponsible behaviors that I have witnessed while riding in someone’s car while they drive. The one I see the most is people driving without their seatbelt. I see this one the most because it is easy to forget your seatbelt because it is not in your immediate line of sight, and you have to turn around to grab it. The next irresponsible behavior I have seen is people being on their phones. This first starts to occur because they are confident in their driving and believe that they can look away from the road for a second or two, but that is dangerous because anything can happen in a split second and cause an accident, so without your attention, you could get into an accident. Another irresponsible behavior is more dependent on the driver, and it is eating or drinking something while driving. This fully depends on the driver and if they can keep the wheel still with one hand while eating or drinking something. It also matters if they are able to grab their stuff without taking their eyes off the road and both hands off the wheel. The final irresponsible behavior I have seen is people driving while they are tired and are basically half asleep. This is bad because you are not able to be fully alert to your surroundings and can not make quick decisions to avoid accidents and drive properly.

There are up to five steps I can take to avoid these bad habits or irresponsible behaviors. The first step is to always get good sleep at night so I am not tired when I need to drive. The second step is to (while in park) set up my music on my phone and put it to the side so I am not distracted. The third step is to make sure I go the speed limit and do not speed so I am not caught off guard and can stop in time when in towns and cities, especially suburban areas. The fourth step is to always drive with both hands on the wheel so I do not swerve into others. The fifth and final step is to make sure that I am following every road rule, especially looking out for pedestrians.