I Want to Live, So I Drive Safely

I Want to Live, So I Drive Safely

The main importance of driver’s education is to teach us to drive safely in general.  Drivers education teaches you to be aware of your surroundings and to be mindful of the speed limit and watch out for other cars and pedestrians.  Driver’s education also teaches you defensive driving skills which you could use to prevent a car accident. If we use the skills that we learn in driver’s education, we can help reduce the number of deaths as a result of reckless driving.

Steps that can be taken to help reduced the number of deaths related to driving.  1. Stop driving while drunk.  2.  Stop baselining. 3. Stop running red lights. 4. Drive safe, as my grand pops said, “Drive like your mom’s in the car” which means for me to drive in a way that will keep her safe at all times. Everyone should take my grand pops advice. I hear my mom talk every now and again about a car accident that took the lives of some of our family members on their way to a family reunion down south when I was younger. A drunk driver caused the accident that killed 7 people and made national news. It was a tragic accident that could have easily been prevented had the person who caused the accident not been drinking and driving.

I have also been in a car accident before with my mom and my brothers.  Someone side swiped us, stopped like they were going to get out and check on us but instead they backed up and sped off across the grocery store parking lot. The accident injured my mom because the direct impact was on the driver’s side door.  The reckless driving of someone else caused long lasting injuries to my mom.  She sustained an injury to her neck that has caused her to have daily migraines.  She also had to have a lot of physical therapy to help ease the pain that she was having in her neck.

I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where recently there has been an increase in deaths due to speeding, baselining, and running red lights.  My mom taught me three things that I didn’t learn in driver’s education.  1. Don’t pull off as soon as the light turns green.  Wait and check both directions before pulling off just in case someone is speeding.  2. Make sure there is at least 2 car lengths between me and the person in front of me just in case someone makes a sudden stop. 3. Pull over when you see or hear emergency vehicles so that they can pass safely.  I don’t see a lot of people pulling over for emergency vehicles, but I learned that from watching my mom drive.  4. Don’t text and drive. Keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone. I’ve had to remind my mom not to do this a couple of times. Now she hands me her phone to do things while she’s driving. It’s much safer that way. If these safe driving steps were followed by all people, not just me, many lives could be saved.  I want to live so I pledge to drive safe at all times.