Better Safe Than Sorry

Being placed in the category of a late driver at the age of 18 years old has not always been the harshest thing to consume. After being informed of the various severe car accidents and fatal deaths that have been happening occasionally on my local news, it’s hard to be mad at the fact that my high school friends and relatives that provided me with constant lectures on why I should drive at the earliest legal age of 16 ½ years old had failed to do so. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always had the consistent euphoria most teenagers get with the idea of driving for their own personal desires. But as most know, hopefully, driving is not supposed to be all fun and games. As famously said by a fan favorite: “With great power comes great responsibility.” In driving terms, that translates to: with great driving comes a great liability.

When we first think of driving, we may think of a four wheeled vehicle consisting of seatbelts, airbags, locked doors and many other security features that will get you through the day safely while also having the ability to take you anywhere quicker than the human body can ever do. Of course, this takes mere common sense to know, however it takes much more than this to maintain your safety when driving. Driver education can help with this efficiently and effectively, providing you with the essential resources and materials needed to provide your confidence in maintaining a safe and proper vehicle. With driver education, you will be taught the proper hand gestures for stopping; slowing; or turning, you’ll learn a variety of techniques like the three second rule to maintain a safe distance from other cars on the road, traffic laws; speed limits, and commonly used traffic signs will be familiar to you, and much more. While driver education allows driving beginners to be wary of the many dangers of driving due to their constant lectures, it isn’t just driving school and its safety precautions that authorizes you to be a safe driver, it’s your decision of whether to follow what you were taught for the road. Most people may not realize that their reckless driving impacts others on the road until the day comes when it’s too late. I’ve consumed many mixed opinions about driver education and the most popular dispute dealer is that it is too expensive, which is arguable. My initial thoughts on driver education was that it was something I could teach myself. But I was wrong, without driver education I would’ve not passed the road test on my first try, and without it I don’t think I would’ve had the courage to drive. In my city, you’re required to take drivers education before you take your permit test when you’re under the age of eighteen. In my case, I didn’t need to take drivers education, but I chose to anyway because I knew there were many gaps within my knowledge of driving that even today astonishes me. For example, at the age of seventeen my dad decided to let me test drive his car without a permit. I knew this was an unrighteous thing to do but I was already mature at this age and knew not to step on the accelerator with full force, besides we were in an empty parking lot. Now, what surprised me the most was the fact that I slowly removed my foot from the brakes when the car was on drive, I was stunned the car was already on the move without my foot on the gas. My dad saw my confused expression as we were already headed for the curb and quickly took control of the car. I explained to him my confusion and he too was stunned at this. From that way further I my decision was made. This goes to show how some of the most basic procedures of driving can be the most vital, and it’s driving school that can prevent situations like this from happening.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the primary cause of deaths and car crashes are due to rear-end collisions. This is when a vehicle is hit with an impactful blow to the back, not only can this cause severe damage to a car, but its results leave passengers in worse conditions. Around the age of 10 years old, my family and I had experienced a similar situation. We had stopped at a school zone to pick up my younger brother and the car behind us had not been following the three second rule, causing us a blow to the back of our car. Fortunately, this was a school zone with a speed limit of less than 20 miles per hour. However, I still remember the feeling of the impact: the strange vibration around my neck that gave me a minor headache that day. Maybe it was from the thrill, who knows. The point is, to reduce the number of incidents that happen on the road, we need to learn how to reduce our distractions and how to overcome them. Whether it’s cell phones, distracting passengers, road rage, vehicles with blinding lights, construction and detoured roadways, ambulances, if you choose to join the road then you should choose to prepare yourself for whatever there is to come.

Therefore, in order for an individual to avoid the dangers of driving they should limit their distractions and learn how to make them susceptible. Driver education can be of huge use when it comes to this and much more, teaching you the best ways to avoid accidents, maintain safety, and more things that will get you on the road confidently. If you decide to go this route, remember what you were taught in drivers education, don’t just forget because you’ve already passed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Jocelyn Mackie, J.D. “7 Types of Car Accidents and How to Avoid Them.” Www.Nolo.Com, Nolo, 21 Nov. 2022, www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/types-of-car-accidents.html.