Know Yourself As A Driver

Know
Yourself As A Driver

Driver’s
education is not merely knowing the rules of traffic. Safety is much
more than turn signals and seatbelts. It is all a decision each
person makes for themselves and their passengers. Driver’s
education is the first step and essential key to reducing their
chance of death. By understanding varying scenarios, consequences of
impulsive or delayed decision making, and the common sense of “safety
first,” drivers are more able to understand their style of driving
and how to improve productively and safely.

To
improve driving safety, there needs to be a higher amount of
self-examination taught to drivers. For example, one can learn the
practice of having a “designated driver” if going out to a social
event or party. Additionally, one can analyze their behaviors,
driving skills, and maturity to know if they are prepared or not to
be on the freeway at their level. Parents can monitor their teenagers
who just earned their licenses, but they can also create a household
of safety and trust. If their child is ever in a situation in which
they are not in their right state of mind to drive, they need to be
able to feel comfortable and safe to call for their parent’s help
without fear of judgment or shame. Additionally, weather conditions
need to be taken into account when considering one’s preparedness
for driving. And typical irresponsible driving patterns like texting
while driving, drunk driving, speeding and any other form of
distracted driving needs to be treated with increased precaution by
the individual, not just the law enforcement watching out for it.

My
stance on knowing one’s boundaries and limitations to driving comes
from my experience seeing my older sibling get into her accidents.
One was simply a little scratch on another car as she was backing out
of her parking space in the wrong direction. Although it was a minor
incident, this was enough of a warning for me to understand that my
sister did not have the right mindset about driving. Her stubbornness
and lack of experience inevitably did cause a worse accident. While
on her way to work one day, she realized she was entering onto the
wrong freeway ramp. Instead of staying calm, she panicked: she tried
to turn out of the entrance and hit the neighboring truck. She
totaled the car and endangered her life. I was luckily not in the car
with her, but the accident was unfortunate enough to scare us both.

Realizing
one’s capabilities could be the critical element in driving safer,
especially amongst teens. Most accidents are caused by individuals
who are overconfident in their skills and inappropriately aggressive.
Learning to be aware of oneself and realizing these bad habits could
allow a person to self-critique their driving behavior for the
better, making it safer for their own sake and their passengers.