Driver’s Ed, A Big Deal

The importance of driver education is essential in reducing the number of deaths. It is important that people who drive, especially new drivers, understand how things such as drugs and alcohol can affect the human body, and how those effects will likely cause an accident. It’s also important that people have a clear knowledge and memorization of road rules and expectations to prevent an accident. Without driver’s education, people would be much less likely to know the necessary information to keep them safe. Driver’s education provides statistics and information that can be surprising and perhaps make someone think twice about various scenarios and taking driving more seriously. Some people have parents that teach their kids a little about driving but some might have none. Drivers’ education also teaches or reminds people to keep their car in a safe condition for driving. Things such as keeping tires aired properly and making sure lights and blinkers work are important. Random road checkpoints to hold people accountable for having working lights and blinkers could be helpful. Vehicle maintenance and upkeep are also important because impaired cars can lead to car parts coming off and ending up in the roadway or hitting other cars.

To prevent accidents and deaths, changes in laws and regulations can be made, such as a stricter driving exam for students, restrictions of alcohol consumption, and reparation of holes in the road. I think all express highway systems like interstates should have center guardrails in place. Also, making roads lines more visible during rainy weather would be nice. Where I live, many are not, making it hard to see just where you are in the lane. In an ideal world, there would be separate travel roads for large trucks, keeping the dangers associated with them away from regular traffic. Making driver education a requirement would force people to learn rules they may not know, or rules that they thought they knew but were mistaken. If they’ve only ever seen a poor example of driving, they might not know and then become a hazard themselves. It’s also a good idea that after a certain age people be reevaluated. As people get older their vision becomes impaired, so does their memory for rules and procedures. This could put them and others at risk. Strict enforcement of speed limits is a good step toward death prevention. Speed greatly increases the risks and severity of accidents. Furthermore, I think that all vehicles should come equipped with emergency escape tools such as a seat belt cutter and a hammer for breaking windows.

Several years ago, I was in a minor car accident, and though it was not serious it was still startling, especially how quickly it can occur. Not all accidents can be avoided, but many can, and if there had been more distance between our car and the other it’s possible it could have been. Thankfully, I have never seen a friend or a member of my family drive irresponsibly.

To be a safer driver, I can do things such as avoiding driving in the dark whenever possible, staying off electronics, constantly checking my surroundings with my car mirrors, and of course wearing a seat belt. Leaving with plenty of time to reach my destination is a good habit I could keep, leading me to be less tempted to drive faster. Not playing music too loud is good as well, because being able to hear things around you is important. Limiting distractions or other activities while driving such as trying to put on make-up, eating, or messing with the radio is a safe driving habit. A personal goal for me is to not be influenced or “bullied” so-to-speak, by other drivers. The pushiness of some drivers can be intimidating and trying to remind myself to stay with what I know is safe can be difficult.

I can help my friends be safer drivers by reminding them to put their seatbelts on and encouraging them to practice driving when they first begin. Practicing makes you more comfortable with operating a vehicle. Furthermore, getting used to a new vehicle can reduce distractions and operating errors. I can also help my friends by not being a distraction while they’re driving. Trying to prevent my friends from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a must.

Taking a driver’s education class is a small thing to ask people to do when it can make a difference in saving lives. Furthermore, driver’s education reduces risks of any accident and accidents can block roadways or be distractions that can lead to more accidents.