Driving scholarship

Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly?

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving?

What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

1. I have been in two car accidents in my life. My first car accident was caused by black ice with my mother on our route to school. There were a few cars that had already had a collision before we came around the corner. Everything happened so fast. Coming around the corner there was a blind side. There were people standing on the side of the road and by the time we saw them we were on black ice. My mother had to avoid hitting the pedestrians, so she turned the wheel hard then we spun out of control until we hit a guardrail on the opposite side of the pedestrians. While we sat in the car a little dazed, two more cars spun out of control, one just missed hitting us by a little over a yard. It was scary. My second car accident could have been a three-car collision, when a car in front of me made a sudden stop for no obvious reason. I was able to slam on my brakes without hitting the car in front of me because I was a safe distance behind them. However, the car behind me was not so cautious. The vehicle behind me rear ended me with little damage to my car, however their vehicle got the bulk of the damage. I endured minor back pain that lasted for about a week. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. My mother was involved in two additional accidents in the last ten years, both times were caused by a driver talking on their cell phone. Once my mother was at a red light and the other time, she was waiting to make a left turn. On both occasions my mother was at a complete stop. My mother’s friend from high school was killed in a drunk driving accident. The driver was the victim’s best friend. They were on their way from a club and had too much to drink. The driver hit a pole and the victim was thrown from the vehicle. My mother’s friend died on impact. Another one of my mother’s friends lost both her sons due to a drunk driver causing a head-on collision. The oldest son was picking up the younger brother from a school dance on their route home when a drunk driver was speeding through an intersection and killed them both.

2. In Maryland, it is required for all minor drivers to take a two-week driving class. This class was helpful, especially if this was your first exposure to the driving fundamentals. My mother was more intentional about educating me about driving when I turned fourteen. She would go over the risks and safety habits to develop when I start driving. My mother would always say driving is a serious responsibility because you’re not just driving for yourself but also driving for everyone around you. I didn’t understand that statement until I started driving. I appreciate the lesson from my instructor and my mother on being proactive when driving. The driving class provided statistics, preventive measures to take when driving and the consequences of not doing so. Driving education is important in bringing awareness to so many things most drivers take for granted. As a result, I believe driver education would directly reduce the death rate due to negligent drivers.

3. The first step to reducing the number of deaths related to driving is awareness. Most drivers feel like they are invisible, and nothing will ever happen to them until it does. We are all accountable when we get into the driver’s seat. I think hearing and seeing the family and friends of death victims or seeing the physical injuries of victims could bring a reality to beginner drivers and driver violators. Driving education classes should be a requirement for all new drivers in every state. There should be a free ride home option available to drivers under the influence and a waiver for their vehicle to stay parked without penalty fees. Restaurants should be penalized if someone is served too much alcohol and causes an accident. There should be high community service hours required for all driving violators. Drivers that violate the speed limit should have the same community service hours requirements.

4. I think drivers need motivation to drive safer and be a more cautious driver. Insurance companies should reduce the monthly premium every three months for non-incidence and increase for every incident. Every driving renewal, drivers should watch a thirty-minute video on driver safety then receive a discount on their renewal fee. In addition, if the driver is without incident that is an additional discount and a fee for every incident.