In the Drivers Seat

The benefits of Drivers Education are simple. Driver’s Education gives people the opportunity to learn and understand the rules and laws that have been put in place to save peoples lives. It allows them through testing and classroom videos to observe fatal mistakes and violations that have led to serious accidents and/or death. For a young driver that has not had a lot of experience observing and driving or a mature person that may have observed more and could be overly confident, these types of courses educate and allow you to see the true danger that can occur if you are not safe.

This past fall I had taken a drivers education course through the Ivy League. The course went for a month long and met virtually 4 days a week. I did see a lot of things I already knew that were obvious to most people like speed limits and things like that then certain things like blind spots and the fact that you’re more at risk from others then yourself. I would say it definitely made me a more cautious and better overall driver because driving is all situational so knowing what to do when things happen is very important.

There are steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving by following basic traffic and safety laws. The use of drugs or alcohol greatly increases the number of deaths on the road today. In this day and age, the use of any device (ex. cellphone, i-pad) that would take your eyes off the road could also lead to an accident-causing death. Luckily, I have never been in a car accident. I know of a few friends that have been in accidents, I am happy to say that they did not have serious injuries. There have been many instances where both friends and family members have been driving while reading text messages on their phones,finding a safe place to pull over would be the proper thing to do, if even necessary.

A few ways I feel one can be a safer driver would be to map out your destination. I think knowing where you are going is very helpful. Familiarize yourself with the route you will be taking. Also, if you will be listening to music, set up your playlist so you are not distracted trying to find certain songs on the way. The use of a Bluetooth or a hands-free device can be very useful in maintaining your attention in this age of devices we are so used to, if you have a passenger, have them be your co-pilot! Have them navigate or be the “D-J”. By having your passenger follow the rules of driving they will also be assisting in keeping others safe.

Driving is one of the most dangerous activities that many of us take part in on a daily basis. In the United States alone, there are over six million car accidents each year, and nearly 40,000 of those are fatal. That means that every day, on average, 110 people die in car accidents. There are steps that we can all take to reduce the number of deaths on the road. First and most importantly, we need to follow basic traffic and safety laws. Obey the speed limit, and don’t text and drive. The use of drugs or alcohol while driving is also a major problem. In 2022, over 10,000 people were killed in drunk driving accidents. That’s nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities. In this day and age, the use of any device that would take your eyes off the road could also lead to an accident and at least 400 deaths have been attributed to texting while driving alone this past year nationwide. The distractions are not just phones, but also things like navigation systems and even the infotainment systems in some newer cars. Fortunately, there are things that we can do to reduce the risks while driving. By following basic safety rules and being aware of the dangers on the road, we can all help to make our roads a little bit safer.

It is essential that every person who gets behind the wheel is mindful of the fact that driving is a privilege. It should always be respected by all those who are behind the wheel in order to ensure both their own safety and the safety of others on the road as well. Taking all precautions to avoid distractions should be taken into consideration, and all laws should be obeyed in order to avoid distractions.