One Mistake Can Change Your Life

As someone who recently has gotten their drivers licence, I know that driving requires a lot of awareness and reaction. A lot of people have this, but some people when they are driving choose to not be aware of their surroundings. I think a lot of young drivers like me lack the experience and focus to drive, which is why we get into a lot of car accidents. But if we are concentrated and remember our driver’s education, it’ll be all fine. The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is that you’ll understand all of the minor details of how to encounter a car that’s approaching you, or that is about to merge into you, etc. When you are at a four way stop, you have to let the first car who got there to go first or if the two cars come at the same time, the car to the right goes first. That is the one of the fundamental rules you learn in driver’s ed, something you should forever remember, but for some reason many people don’t. It’s all about taking your time on the road, and that’s what driver’s ed also teaches you. When you are merging, you look at all sides (front mirror, side mirror, back mirror.) When you are at a stop you look at every way. Even when you are backing up, you look to see any approaching cars behind you. Many drivers are in a rush, and that’s what causes crashes. Many people need to slow down and remember the rules. If you don’t remember the driver’s education, read the handbook again. There may be new laws added since the last time you read it. Re-reading the driver’s ed (dmv) handbook could be one way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, since you now understand how to drive safer. Another way to reduce driver deaths is to simply put on your seatbelt. Putting on a seatbelt reduces fatal injuries by 45 percent. It’s a simple thing to do, but you may be surprised how many people don’t put that strap on their chest. Not using your phone while driving also reduces driver deaths. Thousands of people die every year because of distracted drivers. If you can simply put your phone on “do not disturb” mode or even just put it on mute, distracted drivers will be less of a problem. This epidemic of “texting while driving” will never be fully stopped, but if there was a way to put an end to it, then I propose that all phones in the near future should have a self-lock mode where the phone senses the user who is behind the wheel. Now personally, when it comes to car accidents, I’ve experienced a very small one. My dad was driving, the whole family was in the car, and we just exited the freeway. Right when you exit the freeway there are lights for the drivers who are going either straight or to the left. Since we wanted to go right, all we had to do was stop and yield until the road was clear. So when my dad stopped at the line to survey the road, a car behind us hit us in the back. I was in the back of the sedan, so I just felt a huge jolt forward. At first, I felt scared, but after a few seconds I realized that I was fine, my family was fine, and the driver who hit us was fine. It was just a “fender bender.” The cause of the minor accident was because since my dad stopped behind the line, the driver behind us thought that our car was still slightly moving forward (or yielding) so they kept moving and they weren’t looking forward because they were also looking at the sides of the road. And because of that, an accident occurred. Steps I can take to be a better and safer driver is to continue practicing on my driving. Me and my dad every weekend in the mornings just drive around town and maybe run some errands so I can strengthen my driving skills. I can also read the new yearly dmv handbook so I can not only check for my understanding, but also read the new drivers rules. In addition, I can learn how to not be distracted and be in constant focus by emptying my mind before I drive, so I only think about driving. A way I can help others be a better and safer driver is to call them out. If a friend or relative is driving you and you see them make a mistake or about to, tell them what they did was wrong. This isn’t to embarrass them, this is to help save their life the next time they are driving so they won’t make the same mistake again. All things considered, driving is important and it should be fun, but we can’t forget that we need to keep ourselves and others safe on the road because one mistake can change your life.