Driving and Its Impact In My Life

Driving and Its Impact In My Life

Driving is an action that nearly everyone in the United States will have the privilege to do. Though so common, it is often times one of the most dangerous activities that a person will ever do. Vehicles are large pieces of machinery that are capable of saving or taking a life or multiple lives in a blink of an eye. Despite the dangers of driving, driver education is never fully appreciated. Driver education can be the difference in someone’s life. The information taught and the experience given during that class is irreplaceable.

I had the unfortunate experience of being in a car accident. I have never in my entire life experienced something so scary and surreal. Somebody was in my blind spot and I pulled out in front of them and took a blow to my driver’s side door. I was around three feet away from something way more tragic than it was, as the structural design of the vehicle I was driving saved my life. I was not distracted. I was not mentally or visually impaired. I simply was not observant enough. This event played a massive role in my life and how I go about daily driving.

One thing that could be done differently or improved upon would be situations while driving. I think that most teen and adult drivers have an adequate knowledge of the laws of the road and procedures o driving, however, I believe that everyone would benefit if during driver education class driving situations were discussed and taught. I was well aware that my vehicle had blind spots, however in the situation that I was in, I did not realize that I should’ve been expecting a car to be in that lane. I believe that if situations were further discussed in drivers education, that would help to prevent numerous accidents and to save many lives. Additionally, (and potentially cliché) is the importance of emphasizing seat belt usage. Seat belts save many lives across the country and they should continue to emphasize their importance to new drivers. Seat belts are not about tickets, they are about saving lives.

In order to promote better and safer driving, various steps can be taken my myself or by other individuals. My accident showed me that I need to slow down my mind and think through what is happening in the situation around me. By doing this alone, I will make that roads safer for not only me and my passengers, but also for other people who are sharing the road with me. Other steps that could be taking include advocating for and promote distraction free driving. This could be done by asking friends and/or family to avoid using their cellphones while operating vehicles. A big focus in schools is drinking and driving, but distracted driving is a subject that is often overlooked and under spoken about. Distracted driving made up for 8.5% of all fatal car crashes in this past year. If people became more aware of the effects of distracted driving, this percentage would drop and the roads would become a safer place.

All in all, driving is dangerous and necessary education and precautions must be taken in order to ensure optimal safety and proper road conditions. Driver education helps to promote safety and to educate young drivers on how to safely drive, in order to protect the driver and other drivers that share the road.