The Importance of Road Safety

My intentions with this essay are to highlight how significant road safety is along with how Driver’s Education is a helpful tool in terms of ensuring safety. I have experience with the concept of Driver’s Education, as I have taken a few courses in middle school, and I have some handbooks surrounding it. As a result, it has been something that helped me to better understand the essentials of road safety and the significant weight behind driving vehicles. The ramifications of driving come in many ways, whether it be the safe maneuvering of cars, the occurrence of accidents, or the varied aftermath. This is not without saying that Driver’s Ed helps as a learning tool and guideline for driving.

What is the significance for Driver’s Education in reducing the number of deaths that result from driving? Starting off, Driver’s Education is both a course and a necessary learning experience to understand the intricacies behind driving. Granted, people are taught the basics at an early age, such as wearing seatbelts, adjusting mirrors, and checking their surroundings to cautiously proceed. Acknowledged, these are helpful guidelines, although they are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to safety. For instance, this course teaches people about the basics of traffic laws and the significance behind each one; for example, a blue sign is typically of guidance, while orange is used for warnings. Not to mention the tips surrounding defensive driving, ways to identify potential road hazards, such as an iced-over road, pothole, crashed car, etc. Furthermore, Driver’s Ed is helpful in teaching people of the impacts that potential consequences of not following certain tips could result in. Of course, Driver’s Ed merely teaches the essentials of the road, though it is important to practice driving with these traits in mind.

What are the steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths? Driver’s Ed helps to provide guidelines on what to do when on the road, although the individual will have to apply what they have learned when they practice driving. For example, a driver checks their surroundings, taking traffic into consideration before turning in a specific direction. Admittedly, this is not the only instance where this will apply, as there are more scenarios where the driver must consider their surroundings before concluding their decision, case in point when tailgating occurs. Tailgating, or driving too close to another bumper, is one of many instances in which some drivers wind up either experiencing or doing it themselves. Another important factor to consider when driving is alertness, as people must pay attention to many things within traffic. These guidelines are essential, although they are not guaranteed for every driving experience. This is due to there being multiple instances of people either being unaware of the concept or others around oneself who do not follow the same idea.

Have you ever experienced being in a car accident, or have you seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? From my recollection, neither of my parents have irresponsibly driven due to their strict following of traffic standards, although I did experience a car accident first-hand when I was younger. The accident was a result of someone driving through a parking lot without looking both ways and ignoring the speed limit of the zone. Thankfully, my father, younger brother, and I managed to come out of the situation mostly unscathed, even though we had to spend some time at the hospital as I called an ambulance to take us there. The car involved in the accident was slightly damaged and had to be taken in for days of repair. There was another accident, in which the car was not damaged, but I did end up being unsettled by. It happened years after the previous crash, as my family and I were driving through a strip mall and saw someone crashing into a tree on the sidewalk and a cyclist being slightly injured. While accidents are something that cannot be controlled, it is not something that people should seek to achieve while driving, which is why there are many guidelines to prevent accidents like these.

So, what steps can be taken to become a better and safer driver, along with helping others become safer on the road? In my opinion, both the Driver’s Ed and some personal experiences relating to driving can be helpful in guiding you to what should be done behind the wheel. For instance, it is important for people to be alert at many times and to not drive if they are not at their fullest capacity. That is not without following many significant rules of the road, such as adjusting mirrors, following traffic laws, and checking surroundings before acting on a decision. Ultimately, while road safety is not something that is absolutely guaranteed, it is something that people should follow regardless and consider actions that should be taken when it comes to driving.