It Can Wait

For most teens, driver’s education is a chore they have to get out of the way before they’re able to drive independently. Clearly, they fail to understand the program’s significance in keeping them safe on the road. The proof is in the numbers. Driver’s education is associated with a lower incidence of both crashes as well as convictions, reducing crashes by 4.3% and convictions by nearly 40%.

Before I took driver’s education, I had only practiced driving with my mother around the isolated roads around the local lake. Because of this, I didn’t know much about driving other than how to brake, accelerate, and use turn signals. I was too anxious to drive on the roads because of the fact that I had known nothing about how to be a good and safe driver. However, after taking drivers education during my freshman year, I felt a lot more confident in my driving abilities and understood how to be a safe driver.

What I learned in the program was extensive yet informative. Drivers education taught me important skills and knowledge to prepare me for the road. The knowledge that I acquired from the course has led me to become a safe driver.The most important piece of information I took away from taking the class was the countless ways that deaths related to driving could be prevented. One of these ways is to eliminate any and all distractions while behind the wheel. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. In fact, texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. But in today’s day and age, 81% of Americans own a smartphone, making texting and driving a prevalent and pressing issue.

More people need be educated on the dangers and risks of distracted driving. And there are numerous more forms of distracted driving than texting and driving. How many times do you recall observing a driver in a car who was snacking on some food while behind the wheel? According to one report, 70 percent of people have eaten and driven. How many times have you heard the ‘don’t drink and drive’ campaign, either through the media, from school, or even from your own parents? There’s a good reason that we are taught to not drink and drive. Every day, about 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving accidents. These are ways that distracted driving extends further than texting and driving. Drinking and driving, driving with friends in the car, eating, and more, these are all risks people are taking while operating a car. When teens feel comfortable behind the wheel, they can feel invincible and fully in control. They believe that they can look down at their phone for a few seconds or drive under the influence without there being any consequences, but that action can have irreversible repercussions, like injury or even death. It is crucial that everyone on the road is informed about how to stay safe.

I have been in a situation of a car accident due to the irresponsible driving of others. Thankfully I was not injured, but those memories will forever stick with me. I have been in a car while the driver has been texting or picking a song on their phone, and I always encourage them to put down the phone, because I know that our lives and the lives of others are more important than the need to send a text that could otherwise be sent 10 minutes later. One of my family’s close friend’s kids had gotten into an accident due to drinking under the influence and lead to the tragic death of both of them. Bad decisions are made when people don’t take the consequences seriously or care to be informed. Perhaps they would still be alive today if they had made a better decision in this situation.

I care about my life, and I care about others’. It is my duty to be a better and safer driver and a way I can accomplish this is to put down my phone when I’m driving. And to help others stay safe on the road, I will encourage those around me to avoid distracted driving. The majority of the time, auto accidents are preventable. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration found that somewhere between 94% and 96% of all vehicle accidents are caused by some type of human error. That means that in the event that all drivers were well informed about how to be a good driver through programs such as Drivers Education, deaths caused by car accidents could be avoided. We can all do our part to reduce these serious chances as much as we can, because one bad decision can change a person’s life forever.