Driving Safely

Safety While Driving

I was so excited to learn to drive. To me driving represented freedom, independence and adulthood. Little did I know that there was so much responsibility to getting behind the wheel of a car. It is so important to be safe while driving, not just for your safety, but also for the safety of others. There are many safety rules that your parents can teach you as well as driver education. I took driver’s ed. online, and the details that I learned surpass the lessons that my parents were teaching me. Driving becomes a habit and second nature, but my driver’s ed. course taught me many more rules to the road that my parents did not explain. Through the class I was exposed to information that helped me practice the rules of the road before putting them into action. In this course you learn defensive driving techniques that promote safety on the road like how to deal with aggressive drivers, when to pull of the road, and how to avoid crashes; all of these reduce the number of accidents and deaths related to driving.

I have been driving alone for almost 2 years, and I have been fortunate enough to not be in an accident, but I have seen my father drive irresponsibly. My father uses his phone while driving. I learned in my driver’s ed. course that this is extremely dangerous, and a bad habit. It only takes a few seconds for a distracted driver to put himself and others on the road. While driving I have made a commitment to always keep my eyes on the road, and if I have to use my phone, I will wait until I come to a complete stop. This is just one way to be safe on the road. There are several other ways I can be safe on the road like wearing a seat belt. Many teens don’t think that it is “cool” to wear your seat belt, but what I tell my friends is being alive is cooler than anything else. Another way to be safe is to drive the speed limit or slower. When I am running late to work or school, I do have the urge to go faster to make it there on time. This is a normal reaction, but driving faster cuts down on my reaction time, and causes reckless thinking and behavior. All drivers plan on getting to their destination safely, but that takes all drivers to understand the safety rules. Accidents are just that- accidents; they are not done on purpose. If drivers follow some basic safety practices like, wearing a seat belt, not being distracted by using cell phones, and driving at a safe speed all drivers can have more a freedom with the peace of mind that we all doing the right thing by being responsible.