A Lifetime>1 Bad decision

Cristian Hernandez

DmvEdu.org

October 10^th, 2020

A Lifetime>1 Bad decision

I started driving about 4 years ago, so I can say that I have seen my fair share of irresponsible driving. I have driven irresponsibly, been a passenger in a car being driven irresponsibly, and driven alongside other cars driving irresponsibly. On a frozen night last January I was driving home from a friends house. I made the ridiculous mistake of looking at my phone for 3 seconds. The next thing I knew I drifted to the right and scraped my car rim against the curb. Luckily, there was nobody near me and nobody was hurt. However, I still had a $300 bill on my hands because I decided to look at my phone for 3 seconds. That was all it took. Rule #1 STAY AWAY from cell phones while driving. Whatever is happening on the phone is not worth the possibility of hurting someone or damaging property. It was one of those things that I thought would not happen to me if I were slick about it and it happened anyway.

I had a friend who was often on his phone while driving. He would drive us to outlets or to go play baseball. He loved to be on his phone and snapchat pictures and videos while driving; in fact, he still does that to this day. We never got into an accident, but it was a bit offensive to me that he used to be so irresponsible with us in the car. It made me feel as if he did not really care about our safety. Even though I was only thinking of our safety during those times, distracted drivers like him are a threat to everyone around them.

In my home state of Illinois, drivers ed is only required for people under the age of 21. I believe that drivers ed is imperative to learning how to be a safe driver, and so it should be required no matter what age a person is. It is true that what is taught in the classroom is not always practiced in the real world. However, I believe that the best way to counter irresponsible drivers is to educate people on defensive driving. Those who wish to stay safe and responsible on the road need to know how to drive defensively. Much of it is common sense but I believe that it is still very important to educate drivers on these things. Fortunately for me, I did go through a drivers ed program. My father was also a professional driver and therefore I was given a lot of tips and education on how to drive safely. Step 1: PUT AWAY CELL PHONES AND FOOD. The phone is perhaps the greatest distractor to drivers. The phone and alcohol are a big no-no, and even things like food should be avoided while driving. Stay focused to stay safe. Step 2: DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT. Many people think it is okay to go 60-mph in a 40-mph zone. First, this makes a person very likely to get a ticket. Secondly, pair this with distracted driving and it brews a catastrophe. Allowing sufficient time to get to a destination is a good way to avoid this. Better to be there late than never. Also, there will be people who will tailgate close behind because they want to speed up. Do not give in and speed up. Instead, move to another lane if possible so that they can pass, or just sit tight and let them deal with it. Step 3: DO NOT DRIVE CLOSE BEHIND OTHER CARS. Allow at least 20-30 feet of distance in case they need to make a hard stop. There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing what happens to people who tailgate close behind other cars.

These 3 basic steps can significantly increase one’s safety on the road. I believe that these things must be taught in drivers ed to ensure that people have the knowledge necessary to drive safely. In the end we cannot control what others do, but we can control what we do.