Driver Education Initiative – Stay Vigilant

Driving
a vehicle is an important aspect of people’s daily lives, but
attention to detail is not always applied. Over the years, more and
more teens and young adults have become prone to accidents and
traffic violations, but it’s not only teenagers, it’s generations.
Many believe this increase in accidents has been caused by cellular
devices, but it’s believed to be an effect of our faults. Some steps
can be taken to reduce injuries and deaths, but these steps are
becoming less followed every day.

One
of the roots of being safe while driving has been linked to the
drivers ed courses that have been taken by sophomores in
high school. A new study has found that more than 150,000 teen
drivers, over 8 years, have found that drivers education
significantly reduces crashes. Drivers ed not only teaches
the important details of safe driving, but it also prepares the
students for their road test. Increasing student’s confidence in
their driving abilities, Drivers Ed helps prevent accidents caused
by weary decisions. Not only does this course teaches the foundations
of driving, but it gives the students the experience they need to be
cautious drivers.

The
most commonly found cause of motor vehicle accidents is distracted
driving. No matter what we do or who we drive with, there’s always
at least one distraction in the car while you are driving. Cell
phones have not only become popular in the past 5 years, but they
have also become the main cause of distracted driving accidents.
Studies have shown that cell phones cause nearly 1.6 million car
accidents a year, and most likely half of those accidents involved
teenage drivers. Over the years we have been quick to blame cell
phones on these accidents, but every car has a main distraction. The
radio system most cars have caused a fair amount of accidents.
Studies have shown that while listening to music, your reaction time
slows down by 20%.

Being
a teenager in the world today, I experience many situations that
contribute to unsafe driving. To say the least, several of my friends
have a habit of driving while using their phone. Whether it’s snap
chat, Instagram, or texting, their eyes are off the road. It can be
hard to speak up and ask them to put their phones away, but it’s
better they get angry at you than being in the hospital not able to
move. I have not personally experienced a loss due to driving habits,
but 5 minutes of unsafe driving is not worth losing someone.

Preventing
accidents due to carelessness is not difficult, as long as you follow
a few simple steps. Keeping your phone away, driving sober,
maintaining your attention on the road, keeping the radio at a low
volume, and simply practicing safe driving habits are all things that
we can do to prevent careless mistakes that can turn into awful
situations.

In
conclusion, driving is a major privilege that if not taken seriously
can cause injuries, and in some unfortunate cases, fatalities. Being
the cause of an accident is an awful place to be in, but being there
because of a fault of your own is worse than imaginable. Practice
safe driving habits, and keep the lives of yourself and others
protected.