Build Good Driving Habits

Every driver should attend driver’s education because it builds good habits. In today’s fast pace world, we have so much going on in your vehicles from our cell phone going off, getting the tea on the newest relationship at school, to having that boy or girl you like sending you a flirty SnapChat. Without driver’s education we don’t have someone holding us accountable when we get distracted. It’s easy to build bad habits, however, Driver’s education helps defend against bad habits. Driver’s Education teaches young driver’s about seatbelts, speed, looking before turning, and the important of distance between vehicles. The younger drivers are educated about driver’s education the less likely they’re going to be ignorant about roadway safety.

Currently I work in the Law Enforcement field, I can say one of biggest ways to reduce fatal crashes is by wearing your seatbelt. According to the North Dakota Crash Summary 2018 report there was 77 fatal crashes and 48% of the victims were not wearing their seatbelts. Almost half of the fatalities could have been prevented if they had worn their seatbelt. According to this same report 95 fatal crashes were caused by distracted drivers. There were 9 teenagers who lost their lives which was 9% of the fatalities. I have assisted other Law Enforcement Officers in making notifications to families that their love one has died in a crash. The look on their face is something I will never forget, angry, sadness, disbelief, anxiety, and guilt. They wonder “why is my son or daughter gone.” The question always comes up what I could have done to prevented this.

I was responding to an emergency call when I was involved in a head on collision in my patrol unit. I was driving a small sedan while the other driver was in a Ford F250 which towered over my patrol unit. The air bags went off I could barely breath because of all the smoke, I stumbled out of my patrol unit and look at the damage. My patrol unit was destroyed. The other driver was okay, however, I had bruising on my chest from the seatbelt which saved my life. After the crash I was shell shocked because I couldn’t believe at such a low speed how much force was generated when two vehicles collided. Without my seatbelt on my chest would have slammed into the steering wheel causing broken ribs, internal bleeding, or worse death.

Wearing my seatbelt when I first get into my vehicle, never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, don’t text and drive, give myself plenty of time to arrive safely, and watch my speed. I will continue to education young drivers on the important of these rules, and hopefully they apply them. These are all things I live by and if every driver followed these simple rules, we could help end fatal crashes. The text message can wait until later, don’t drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, wear your seatbelt, slow down. Always remember the freeway is not the Dayton 500 and even Richard Petty wears his seatbelt.