Staying Safe and Raising Awareness to Safe Driving

Brittney
Oakley

Staying
Safe and Raising Awareness to Safe Driving

Driving
a car is a big responsibility even though most people don’t think
of it that way. There are many collisions and crashes that lead to
numerous deaths a week across the country. While there are several
safe drivers, many people could name a list of unsafe drivers that
they know. This is where everyone needs to get involved to stop the
reckless and unsafe driving. Overall, increasing drivers ed and
telling family and friends not to text and drive would make a huge
impact.

Driver
Education needs to be increased. Every student has to take the class
at school before receiving their drivers license, but this class only
talks about the rules of the road. Some people have taken that class
over 10 years ago. Many students think that it is funny to swerve in
and out of cars or to text and drive. Friends and family members need
to step up and tell them that doing those things is very unsafe and
causes so many accidents. I think that some people are scared to
point out the bad habits to their friends because they are scared of
what people might think of them. We need everyone to get involved and
to not be afraid because the consequence of causing a wreck is way
worse. I think schools should make it known that being a safe driver
is important and continue to encourage kids not to text and drive.
The people around teens make a big difference and impact them in many
ways so we should use those people to be good influences.

I
consider myself to be a good driver and a very safe one as well. I
never text and drive because I realize the consequences. Everyone
needs to realize that a simple text is not more important than the
safety of yourself or the people around you. I usually just drive
places myself, but if I see someone texting and driving, I will say
something. I will tell them to stop, wait till we get where we are
going, or just offer to text it for them, but anything to get them
off their phone while driving. Some people don’t always listen when
they are told to be safe, which is why there are so many accidents.
Many people think that it is okay to text and drive because they
believe that they are good at it. To that I say, it only takes once.
One wrong move and you could cause someone to be in the hospital and
risk many people’s lives. For what? A text? Nothing is more
important than staying safe. No text could be more important.

A
lot of driving mistakes happen because of texting and driving, but
there are other reasons as well. Unsafe driving in general is what
gets people hurt. Many kids, when first getting their license will
transport friends to and from places. This is something I find
dangerous because it is easy to get distracted while driving. If
these kids are being loud or taking pictures in the car, the driver
could easily get distracted and cause a crash. This is why it is
illegal to transport more than one unrelated person before a driver
turns 17. I think this should be better enforced and that parents
should make sure that their kids are following the law.

There
are many different ways to become a better driver that students first
driving to adults who have been driving for 40 years should follow.
The first tip is to always be focused on the road. This is the
biggest one and texting and driving as well as friends fall into this
category. Put down the phone and give 100% attention to the task of
driving and getting there safely. Another thing that helps with
focusing is speed. Many people tend to speed because they can. This
can cause a driver to lose focus as well because the speed limit is
in place for a reason. I believe that everyone should hold friends
and family accountable for this. Some of my friends that I used to
ride with before getting my license would speed everywhere. I would
always be contentious of their speed and make sure to tell them to
slow down if we got to going too fast. I always allow myself the
proper time to get to where I’m going, so there isn’t a reason I
need to speed.

Another
thing that can help a driver stay safe is to practice driving
defensively. This is something that is taught in drivers ed,
but not always understood. Making sure that someone is ready at all
times to avoid a crash or to slow down requires the driver to pay
extra attention, which goes back to focus. Being too close to the car
in front is another thing that drivers should watch out for. Give
enough time to slow down if there is an emergency that requires
stopping quickly. Safe driving can be practiced every day. Practiced
by kids and adults. Those are few of the things that can make
tremendous differences in the way someone drives.

Overall,
driving is something that takes practice, focus, and discipline.
These things should all be made aware when a student starts driving
and continued to be practiced as an adult. Drivers ed is super
important and should continue to grow to decrease the number of
deaths caused by driving mistakes. This education is first provided
by the instructor or teacher. Then parents have to make sure to keep
telling those things to their child and holding them accountable as
they learn to drive. As friends of other drivers, making sure they
are doing what they are supposed to be doing is also important. They
will most likely listen to their friends rather then their parents.
Throughout the driving years people should remain up to date with
safety tips for driving and stay educated. The importance of driver
education keeps increasing and with more educated and safe drivers
there would be less driving-related deaths.