In the driver’s seat

Did you know that driving in America is proven to be more deadly than war combat? Being educated in road safety can save lives. Just being able to understand why certain laws are in place on the road can drastically affect your ability to drive safely. There have been numerous studies that prove having the knowledge of driving safety saves lives. Even just simply knowing the statistics of driving collisions and driving deaths can make you a good driver. We are able to lower these deaths from something as simple as learning.

Driver education reduces the number of deaths while driving. There was a study on this topic at the University of Nebraska. Their results stated “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75% more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24% more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16% more likely to have an accident.”(August 13, 2015). You are more likely to be legally punished and physically hurt when you aren’t educated on driver safety. These statistics should scare people into getting the right education so that these numbers can decrease over time.

Learning isn’t the only step you can take to reduce the number of deaths while driving. The biggest step you need to take is to comprehend and apply what you learn. You can listen and read about every road safety fact in the world but that won’t make a difference unless you apply it while you are driving. This means being able to understand and care about what you learn. In America, in order to get your driver’s license you need to complete driver education classes either online or in person. I know so many people who went through these classes and didn’t actually take anything out of it in the end. As boring and pointless these classes can seem to some, they are just the beginning of making you into a good and safe driver. If these classes were taken more seriously, I bet newer drivers would be so much safer.

Luckily I have never been in any serious car accidents. I have never been driving while in an accident either. The only ones I have experienced first hand were very slow rear ends and deer running in front of the car. I am forever grateful this is all I have experienced but that is not the case for everyone. One of my close family members suffers from neck pain due to whiplash from a previous collision. They got hit really fast by a drunk driver many years ago. If the drunk driver knew what would happen before they had gotten behind the wheel, maybe nothing would have happened at all. Drunk driving needs to be stopped. This driver got lucky because they didn’t take any lives that night. Drunk drivers are being charged with murder left and right. If everyone had to correct and proper education on driver safety, maybe these numbers wouldn’t be so high.

Sending a quick text that may seem harmless one time, might end up being super harmful the next time. All drivers these days have a cell phone and we are probably on them more than we should be. Even looking down to check the time or read a text could end up putting yourself or others in serious danger. Being able to drive without being on your phone could save so many lives. Now imagine if everyone were to do this as well.

Some people have even developed a fear of driving due to America’s scary driving statistics. People will refuse to get their driving license due to the fear of getting behind the wheel and being in danger. These fears are valid but the fact that there are people with this fear means we need to improve our driver education knowledge. People shouldn’t have to be scared everytime they turn their car on.

Being able to understand the negative impacts of not being educated behind the wheel is just the beginning. We need to be able to stand up against dangerous drivers and help educate them as well. It takes one person a time to reduce collisions and even deaths while driving. Wanting to get educated is the first step. Remember to learn, comprehend, understand, and apply. Once you have applied what you know to yourself, you can even help others learn as well. As a nation, we can reduce driving deaths by caring and applying what we know and keep on learning more.