The Importance of Being a Safe Driver

Imagine you just turned 16 and are sitting in the driver’s seat of a car. You have hardly any experience, but are expected to drive safely; that can be a scary thought. This is why driver’s education is so important to young drivers. Drivers Ed allows students to learn the proper procedures and rules of the road while building confidence in their ability as a driver. Being a confident driver is so important to not only your safety but the safety of those around you. When you have taken the class and you feel prepared and confident on the road, you are less likely to make stupid mistakes that could cause the lives of you and those around you. Usually, in a Driver’s Ed class, there is a driving portion with an instructor. During these driving periods, you are graded on your driving abilities. If you make a lot of mistakes or risk getting into a car crash then you will not pass. This is so important because the class is somewhat determinate on who can get a license and who is not ready yet. This can significantly reduce the number of deaths on the road simply by assuring that everyone on the road is ready to drive.

One major way to prevent accidents is to take care of misbehavior before the accident can take place. Traffic tickets are not going to stop some people from doing wrong on the road, but they will help to reduce the amount of risk because people do not want to have to pay for a ticket. Another way to reduce accidents is by taking students on major highways and places where accidents are more prone during Driver’s Ed so that they can learn with an adult in the car and know how to navigate those difficult situations. To prevent death, everyone should be wearing a seat belt that so that in the event of an accident they can reduce the chance of death. The new features on cars today have been very helpful in knowing where cars are on the road and seeing behind you better which is helping to reduce accidents already. Even though so many cars have these features, everyone driving still needs to be a safe driver and pay attention to the road of car accidents may occur.

When I was younger my family was coming home from camping and we were carrying a pop-up camper behind our car. As we came up to a light we stopped with enough time and space, but a semi-truck behind us did not. They ended up completely crushing our camper into what looked like an accordion. Thankfully no one was hurt but it was scary. Years late, my brother was in a car accident on his way home after a football game. He was driving down the road with his headlights on because it was dark and another person pulled out right in front of him because they “didn’t see him coming,” even though he had his lights on. In both situations, the vehicle that caused the accident was not paying attention to their spacial awareness or they were in a rush. No one in my family drives recklessly and they are all fairly safe drivers, so learning from them as a new driver helped to increase my confidence on the road.

My parents always told me to “keep my head on a swivel” whenever I was driving. This is so important because even if you are being safe it doesn’t mean that everyone else on the road is being safe. Paying attention and eliminating distractions can reduce the number of crashes because you are keeping an eye out for the unusual. You never know when someone will pull out in front of you or slam on their breaks, but at least you can be prepared to stop or do whatever is the safest. Making sure that you leave room between you and the car in front of you not only gives them peace of mind but allows you to have time to react. Driver’s Ed is crucial in learning how to handle situations on the road. You will not learn how to deal with every single situation you will ever encounter, but at least you have some knowledge of the best solution. Keeping you and all other drivers safe on the road is the most important thing that anyone can do to reduce the number of car-related incidents/deaths on the roads each year. Be a safe driver and help others around you be safe too so we can live a more peaceful life.