Driving Safety

Driving safety rules are often discussed in my school as well as at home. Driving safety is not only important to me, but it is also important to our society. Not only does driving safety help me, but it also helps passengers and other drivers on the road. By practicing driving safety, I would also be protecting other people, which is very important to me. As a young teenage driver, my parents and I always have conversations regarding tips to keep me safe as a driver. This can be from tips and things to look out for when driving at night to how to park in a parking lot. Knowing that a driver’s license is a privilege, I understand the need to take driving safety seriously. There are a few instances that helped teach me this lesson early on. 

The first lesson was that obtaining a driver’s license is important. It took me three attempts to pass my driver’s license road tests. According to my experience, nothing major happened in the road test. I did not hit a curb or another car, I did not run a red light or stop sign, and I followed all the guidelines of checking my mirrors and holding my hands to the correct positions on the steering wheel. Because the instructions do not provide much detail, the most important lesson I learned was again the concept that getting a driver’s license is something that is not and should not be given to anyone who wants to drive. I trained all summer with my father, and I worked on perfecting my driving skills to finally pass the exam on the third try. When I did pass the road test, I realized that there are always things that you are not aware of that can impact your driving. Something that the other two driving exams have seen, that I was not aware of. Because of this, I take driving safety much more seriously. 

Going to high school, I have seen plenty of examples of how not driving safely can have a negative impact. I have had classmates lose their licenses or even their driving privileges from their parents for not following driving safety rules. I have noticed that some of my fellow teenage drivers like to speed or drive past the hours allowed for some first-time drivers. This was one of the rules that my parents and I went over. What I realized was that the rules for teen drivers are more strict, and that is because we do not have much experience driving, and the rules want to keep us safe. Therefore, there are a few steps that I take while driving. First, I make sure that there are not too many people in the car with me. Extra people can cause distractions and possibly create an accident. Second, I make sure that I understand where I am driving so that I am aware of the possible conditions. These could be dirt roads, busty highway traffic, or driving uphill in bad weather. I also make sure to keep my phone in my glove box. By doing that, I am not distracted by notifications on my phone, and I can focus on the road. 

Another good reason to drive safely is because accidents can happen even if it is not your fault. This past year, my mother, father, and sister were in a scary car accident. No one was hurt, but it did affect everyone deeply. They were driving home from a shopping trip out of town, and it started to ice and snow. While they were driving, they ran over a piece of ice. The car did a 360 spin and ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. My parents are safe drivers, but it shows that in some conditions, you must take extra safety steps to make sure you are safe. Luckily, no one was hurt, but it taught me a valuable lesson.  Another example happened to me. Even though it was not an accident, there was a time when I did not realize how bad the roads were. Driving to a friend’s house in an area in which I do not drive very often, it began to snow heavily. My friend lived on a steep hill, and my car had a hard time making it up the hill. After a short while of attempting to make it up the hill, I decided the safest thing to do was to stop and park where I was and call for my friend’s dad to help me. By making that decision, I ensured that I would not cause any damage or get into an accident.