The Importance of Being a Safe and Educated Driver

Kyle Petty, former stock car racer and Richard Petty’s son, once said, “The driver that you have to sell on safety shouldn’t be driving.” Like Petty, I believe that driving safely is one of the most important responsibilities that a driver has. Driving safely can save your life as well as those of your friends and family not to mention all of the other people around you on the road. And being an educated driver leads to safer driving, but it goes beyond that. Understanding the rules of the road provides valuable tools to help you understand what you should and should not be doing, anticipate what other people will do, and help you avoid trouble.

Driver education is important in reducing deaths because it goes well beyond the simple studying people do to take a driving test. Driver education teaches about safety and defensive driving. These classes provide instruction on being safe on the road, such as wearing your seat belt and using your turn signal, as well techniques that help you look for and anticipate issues so they can be avoided. In the event of a problem, people who have taken driver education most likely will respond in a more prepared way. Driver education helps prevent accidents and potential fatalities.

There are many ways to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Some of these ways are adhering to simple driving rules like always wearing your seatbelt, never texting while driving, paying attention to street signs and traffic signals, using your mirrors and turn signal, and staying a reasonable distance from the car in front of you. And some ways are more complicated but just as important like taking driving education, driving more cautiously in bad weather, knowing your car, understanding when you are too tired to drive safely, not driving aggressively, and not getting distracted. However, one of the most important ways to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to take responsibility for yourself and others when you are on the road. If you take responsibility for yourself and others, you have a vested interest in driving safely to ensure you are not risking lives.

A couple of years ago, my brother’s friend had a terrible accident that caused him severe injuries that he will be dealing with for the rest of his life. It happened on a street near where I live that teens frequently like to drive on. It is a narrow dark street through a nice neighborhood that ends with a roundabout with an amazing view. There have been multiple accidents on that road mostly involving teens driving recklessly. My brother’s friend was driving with three other teens with him in the car. The teen was driving too fast, lost control, and drove through the block wall of one of the houses on the street. My brother’s friend had to be airlifted to a hospital and is now severely disabled. Luckily, the three other teens in the car only had minor injuries. Hearing about this really hit me hard, because I have been on that street with my brother and never thought that something that horrible could happen. It made me realize how important driving safely is, and the consequences of not so can affect you for the rest of your life.

I am in the process of obtaining my learner’s permit and have put a lot of thought into how I can be a better and safer driver as well as how to help others be safer on the road. I intend to take the driver’s education course offered by my school next year. My entire family has taken driver’s education, and I have encouraged all of my friends to take it as well. I also intend to do a lot of practice driving in a safe location, before I ever get out on the road. When I am in the car, I always wear my seatbelt and make sure everyone in the car has theirs on as well. I will never text and drive, and I always try to prevent others from texting while they are driving. Additionally, when I am in the car, I always keep an eye out for hazards and intend to use defensive driving techniques once I am able to drive. I also do a lot of volunteer activities and will be looking for activities promoting safer driving.

Driving safety and driver education is critical to preventing accidents and saving lives. Doing all I can to ensure I am a safe driver and others drive safer is important to me and is a commitment that I am making to myself. I believe that it is the best way to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.