Education That’s Worth Learning

There are many milestones in everyone’s life and the biggest yet exciting one is always about the first step to independent driving. I vividly remember my first time driving by myself and I had mixed emotions of happiness and excitement but also nervousness. Driving has been a nerve-wracking experience for many and this has caused a variety of problems resulting in deaths, accidents, and trauma. With continuous driver’s education, we can decrease those numbers and create a society where drivers aren’t afraid anymore, where drivers can defend themselves in dangerous situations, and where they have the ability to keep everyone safe.

It’s highly important to start teaching the youth about defensive and safe driving to reduce and prevent others from being put in life or death situations. Driver’s education is an engaging and useful method of teaching drivers to be safe. Many defensive programs consist of teaching others to test drive in certain conditions such as driving on wet roads, against wind, and more. Personally, I attended a defensive driving class located in Las Vegas, Nevada called Driver’s Edge. This three-course program allowed me to test drive in dangerous situations where I was able to learn collision avoidance skills, skid control, evasive lane change maneuvers, and panic braking controls. After completing this program, I was confident in my ability to drive defensively and with precaution, and ultimately I believe everyone should be taught about defensive driving and how to remain calm in situations like this.

The number of deaths in younger people is linked to reckless driving from being distracted, intoxicated, and can also be caused by other dangerous drivers. As a society, we need to eagerly encourage potential drivers to practice safe and lawful driving. Straying away from texting and driving is a must, so is drinking and driving. Being distracted by other passengers in the car or having to adjust positions of the seat or mirrors could potentially put everyone in danger if they’re multitasking. As a teen driver, it’s hard to stay away from going on your phone while at the stoplight or even when driving due to the ringing of constant notifications and calls. Yet, that one phone call or text could potentially lead you into an accident or even put you in a far worse situation, death. I always follow a procedure before getting on the road and this has helped me in great ways: 1. First, check if I have all my belongings and check if anyone is going to be carpooling with me 2. Get into the vehicle and immediately put on seatbelt 3. Adjust side and rearview mirrors if needed as well as driver’s seat 4. Ensure all text messages and phone calls are made before starting car 5. Lastly, put the key into the ignition and remember to focus on the road. I believe that all drivers should have this type of mentality in which they acknowledge how to be safe to prevent car accidents. Not only does the driver have to take their own life and their passenger’s life into consideration, but they also have to consider other drivers around them.

In conclusion, safety should be the number one priority when planning on getting from point A to point B. Many innocent people have been killed due to reckless driving and in today’s generation, we need to change that by encouraging drivers to practice safe and lawful precautions. It’s not worth it to get into an accident over something as simple as texting or being distracted. It’s not worth it to risk your life and put yourself and others in danger when drinking and driving. What is worth it is learning about defensive driving and educating yourself and others about the risks and causes of distracted driving.