The importance of educating drivers to prevent deaths

Driver education is immensely beneficial, if not essential, to preventing driving deaths. Without driver education, how are new, and even current, drivers supposed to know the rules and theories behind driving safely. Driver education can teach drivers how to drive safely around others and help them predict other’s actions, not only other driver’s actions but also the actions of pedestrians in urban settings. A disappointing amount of people are killed daily due to their own and/or other’s lack of knowledge or recklessness. These deaths could have been prevented through educating drivers on driving safely and not being distracted while driving.

Laws requiring drivers to more educated before and while they are driving can save lives. Education on rules such as when to yield the right of way to other drivers, not driving distracted, and the meanings and patterns in traffic signs. Right of way is an important subject, without drivers knowing who is allowed to go and who must yield drivers would be very confused and would crash much more often. Not driving distracted means avoiding activities that divert your attention from driving safely, such distractions include eating, texting, driving intoxicated, and/or sleeping. Knowledge of street sign patterns is also immensely important. Examples are how almost all stop signs are red octagons of the same size, temporary signs, usually due to construction, are orange, and speed limit signs are white with black writing. When signs follow patterns, it allows for quicker and more efficient analyzation of the driver’s situation.

Another method to prevent driving deaths would be to increase enforcement of existing laws. For example, cameras at traffic lights that report and give tickets to drivers that drive unruly or speed to run red lights. Law enforcement, such as local police, could be stricter on driver’s speed and distracted driving. More law enforcement could increase the amount of area monitored and protected from reckless drivers.

Ensuring new drivers complete their driver’s education course can dramatically increase knowledge and prevent deaths from not understanding traffic laws.

My dog was killed by a drunk driver. It was December of 5^th grade, we were driving to the veterinarian for their first vaccines, they were only 8 months old. Arnold and Winston were Corgi Australian Cattle Dog mixes. We rescued them from an animal rescue in Austin, TX, my mom had seen them advertised for adoption on Facebook. She fell in love at first sight, they had the same coat color and a similar body structure to her last dog who had died of old age almost a year before. The intoxicated driver ran a red light just ten minutes away from the veterinarian’s clinic. Arnold was killed in the collision. Luckily, everyone else made it out with only minor injuries. On the other hand, the car was totaled. Sometimes Winston stares into the distance longingly, I think he misses his brother. If the drunk driver had been more responsible and hadn’t been driving intoxicated, Arnold might still be here today for Winston.

To be a safer driver I can study my local traffic laws not only through the driver’s handbook, but also resources such as watching family members driving and asking people involved in enforcing driving laws, such as local law enforcement about laws and what I should watch out for the most. Like most normal people, I speed sometimes, usually because I get distracted by staying in one lane and forget to control the pressure on the gas pedal. I can also be safer by turning my phone to do not disturb while driving so that I don’t get distracted by notifications, especially notifications from texting. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because texting efficiently requires both hands, if both hands are busy texting, you don’t have control of the steering wheel and are likely to crash. Driving can be very dangerous, you should always pay attention, not only to the road and signs but also for other drivers. Uneducated drivers can be unpredictable and drive dangerously.

I can help others drive safer by correcting and educating them when I notice them making a mistake. Sometimes, while my dad is driving, I remind him the speed limit so he can drive safer. You can also help the driver by watching out for others driving recklessly that they might not have noticed.

Informing others about traffic laws if they ask can spread knowledge that can help prevent dangerous driving. When my friends talk about speeding I encourage them to be more careful and think of the possible consequences that can result from driving recklessly.