Being a Driver in America and the Importance of Driver Education

There are many important factors that go into driving and making sure you make the right decisions when it comes to being a driver and being qualified to drive in today’s society. There are many lives being taken each year because of irresponsible driving which results in consequences of not taking driving on the road seriously. There is a lot of information that goes into becoming a safe driver and being educated in all of the facts so then you can share that information to make sure other drivers are as educated so then the amount of accidents and death will decrease over the years.

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is to guarantee that you know the ways to prevent accidents and deaths as a result of not being guided on the different ways you can learn how to drive more safely on the roads. When you are trying to get your license at the age of 16 and 17, you have to go to driving school but when you are over the age of 18 they do not make you go to driving school. I believe that no matter how old you are, driving school should be required and there should be a rule to have the required driving hours and more practice because it will help in the long run. If you go out on the road with no experience and just because you passed a 10 minute test of driving in a neighborhood or on a silent street and could parallel park doesn’t mean you are ready for driving out in the real world where there are irresponsible drivers. When you are driving on a road or on the highway, you not only have to make sure you’re driving safe but you also have to watch out for other drivers that may make the wrong decision in a split second that could result in lives lost.

Some steps that could be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is learning and understanding what you should do when you are in a situation where someone is swerving on the same road you are, going over the line, cut you off in your lane, lane switch with no blinkers on or speeding around you. Knowing what to do in these situations or any other situation you may come across while driving may just save your life and maybe others lives as well. Some steps I take while driving is that I always pay attention to the cars around me because I could be driving perfectly but all it takes is one lazy and bad driver to do something and it could cause a major accident. When you start out driving, I feel like it is very essential for someone to tell you to always pay attention to cars around you because you need to always stay alert and not be distracted. Other steps to not be distracted is to remove all the things that could potentially distract you or obstruct your vision such as being on your phone, fidgeting with the radio or music that you’re playing, and also eating while driving. Some people may think that they can do the impossible and just because you may be very talented at multitasking, doing anything else while driving except paying attention to the road is dangerous.

I have actually been in 2 accidents where my car was totaled and it was all in a years span. I have never driven irresponsibly or been distracted when I was driving because I hear many stories of people getting killed because of not paying attention on the road and I do not want my family to be put in that situation where they lose me because I was not paying attention. My first accident was last year and I was 17 years old. When I was coming home from school, I decided to take the highway and I usually never take the highway from school because there is always traffic but I was just thinking like there was already traffic on the street coming home so what would be the harm if I took the highway? I was in the merging lane of the highway and i was looking over my shoulder and in my mirror like they taught me in driving school but then as i looked to my left side, I seen a car speeding but since there was traffic he couldn’t quite slow down fast enough to avoid hitting the car in front of him , so he just decided to swerve over to the right which means he swerved to the merging lane and hit the front left side of my car then i turned the wheel because I did not know what to do in a situation where i got hit so when i turned the wheel that made my whole car turn around and the the back left of my car hit the railing. I was facing the opposite way of traffic and that whole experience was terrifying because it was not my fault but i feel like if i just took the street way, that wouldn’t have happened. Luckily everyone was okay and there were no deaths as a result of that accident. My 2nd accident actually happened very recently in February of 2024. Long story short, I was driving in a lane going 30 mph then the car only a couple feet ahead of me was at a full stop in the other lane then he decided to cut me of while i am already driving a good speed and he was just building up his speed but it was the fact he was going too slow that i was not able to press on the breaks fast enough to avoid hitting him. So I again totaled my car for someone else being distracted while driving. It is essential to always check your mirrors and make the judgment for yourself if you have enough time to get over to another lane and clear it.

Overall, there are many steps that can be taken to become a better driver and help others become a more safe driver. I wish I had more information on driving education to tell me what I should do instead of turning my wheel when I get hit because doing that causes more harm than good. Checking your mirrors at all times is an important step to make sure you can see the vehicles or pedestrians and then you can react correctly to prevent any accidents.