The Importance of Road Safety

Sarah
Soni

The
Importance of Road Safety

During
my first driving lesson, I knew almost nothing about the car itself.
I only knew where the brakes, gas, steering wheel, and gear shift
were. I was terrified to start a car. Now over a year later and it’s
second nature to me. Anyone can drive; it is a skill that many people
begin learning at age 16. However, getting behind the wheel is the
second step, the first is understanding the laws, rules, and
regulations that are crucial to know in order to begin driving. A car
is a dangerous weapon, and it must be controlled by someone who is
responsible and understands the dangers at hand every time they
drive.

As
teens approach the age of 16, many get excited to receive their
driver’s permit. They take a drivers ed course and a test
to get their permit. Drivers ed is crucial to help a future
driver understand the laws of the road and misdemeanors given if the
rules are not followed. It teaches these new drivers what to do if
their car were to hydroplane, the principles of traction, and hill
parking. These all seem like common knowledge, but we all learned
this from taking a drivers ed course. Understanding and taking
the time to learn driving safety can help reduce the number of deaths
related to driving. Many future drivers may skip or lose interest in
drivers ed, but it can truly save a life to know.

A
problem I see within driver’s my age is their careless driving and
lack of respecting the rules of the road. As a young teen, I see many
of my peers treat their life with little respect and drive
dangerously by racing each other on a less busy road. I think we
should work to continue promoting safe driving. We also must learn to
accept that being ten minutes late to a meeting or school isn’t the
end of the world. However risking your own life to make it on time,
can shatter your world and that of the people around you in a matter
of seconds. The gift of life isn’t valued as it should be,
especially when people are busy focusing on making it on time, or
impressing their friends.

So,
what steps can be taken to be a better and safer driver? We all
should continue to practice safe driving and educate those who will
begin to drive, and those that need a reminder many years into
driving. Keeping the roads safe can help save lives and prevent
accidents that are detrimental. Knowing how to drive is only one part
of being a good driver, we must also learn the rules and regulations
that were implemented to keep the roads safe. We must consider how
powerful a car is and the damage it can cause. Being a cautious
driver is just one great way we can start to help prevent disasters.