Serious Implications of Being a Driver

When I read the description of this scholarship I learned an average of 34,000 people die each year from automobile-related accidents. This got me thinking about the accidents I’ve had in the past and how a couple of them were so bad it was a miracle I’m alive to tell the tale. One accident happened after I fell asleep driving home after working a double shift then ran a stop sign, and jumped a ditch coming to rest in a field. I suffered a bilateral calcaneus fracture (I broke my heels and ankles) and a bad seat belt burn on my neck. This accident resulted in screws being put in my heels, having to be confined to a wheelchair for months until I healed and learned to walk again. My other major accident was much worse but had a totally different outcome. Driving to work one evening I hit a puddle of rainwater on the interstate, lost control, and flipped my truck three times before coming to rest in the emergency lane like I had merely pulled over. A passerby ran over and helped me out of the truck because he was afraid it was going to catch fire or something because of the severity of the accident. When the ambulance arrived, I was standing on the opposite side of the highway. They couldn’t believe I was the one who had been in that truck and had barely a scratch. Having had these traumatic accidents I try now to be extra careful on the road which I had thought I was being at the time but obviously was not the case.

How can the importance of driver’s education in reducing the number of deaths from driving be accounted for? The most important thing people learn in driver’s education is the laws and rules of the road. Without this fundamental knowledge, you are an accident waiting to happen. Being able to operate the vehicle is a great skill to have but if you don’t have the brains to be safe and use your skills you are wasting your time and putting everyone on the road, including yourself, at risk for injury or death.

Steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving include? Making driver’s education classes more widely available for teens and young adults. While it is offered at most high schools there is usually a waiting list to get into the class. My daughter took her driver’s education class online. This was fine for teaching signs and laws but did nothing for teaching confidence behind the wheel or basic knowledge of the inner workings of an automobile. Utilizing safety features built into cars now like cameras and sensors to help reduce and eliminate accidents is also a huge leap towards making cars safer to drive.

Steps that you can take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road include don’t drive distracted or tired. When you don’t give your full attention to the road you run the risk of causing or just becoming part of someone else’s accident. Do not depend on other drivers for your safety. Keep both hands on the wheel, watch out for obstacles or potential dangers in your way, follow the speed limit, make proper lane changes, and always wear your seatbelt. These are all important safety precautions that are taught in driver’s ed and also important tips every driver should use to remain safe on the road.

As of right now two of my children are driving and the other two are about to begin taking driver’s ed. Knowing how dangerous the road can be, I would like to just be able to put them all in a bubble and keep them safe. Sadly that isn’t an option and my only option is to make sure they are as educated as possible on how to be safe, that the vehicles that they drive have no obvious dangerous defects, and that in the event they are involved in an accident, they will know what to do, to help themselves and others. The safety features that come standard on cars now. Such as all the airbags, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, backup cameras, anti-lock brakes, and a multitude of sensors telling you if someone is in your blind spot. With all these features you would think there would be no room for accidents but unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed, and these things only reduce the risks of an accident they don’t eliminate them completely.