The Importance of Education in Safe Driving

The Importance of Education in Safe Driving

Driver’s education is important for learning how to safely handle vehicles and the rules of the road. It’s all well and good to know how to drive but knowing the rules of the road and the common ways driving can go wrong can do wonders for keeping everyone on the road safer. Formal education like the driver’s ed one has to take in order to get a license is just one way to be an educated and safe driver. Things like doing outside research, taking supplementary lessons and classes and just being overall informed are other ways to be safe on the read.

I live in New England where we have a lot of moose and deer. These are dangerous animals to encounter in a car as they can cause incredible damage to a vehicle and the persons in it. It is incredibly important that anyone who drives regularly in areas with moose and deer learn how to properly avoid or hit them to avoid the worst of injuries from hitting an animal or hitting another vehicle avoiding the animal. Snow and ice is another obstacle that I face often when driving. Snow and ice make the road much slippier and more unpredictable, and in the state of Maine, during winter, about half of the car crashes that occur are due to winter conditions like snow and ice. Many of these crashes could be avoided if people were properly equipped with tools like snow tires and four wheel drive but also if people were properly educated on what to do when the road conditions turn bad. Navigating slippery roads is covered in a lot of driver’s ed classes in my area but one should always do their own research on the road conditions before they drive for the day. They should also practice in places like empty parking lots to get comfortable driving in adverse conditions in a relatively danger free way. I know that in some areas as well, organizations and companies will offer classes on how to handle cars in adverse conditions.

I have actually had a few experiences in being in accidents not only because of animals or poor weather but just plain inattentiveness. I once hit a turkey and though it did no damage to my vehicle, or presumably the turkey as it ran off immediately after, it was very scary. I have on more than one occasion hydroplaned or slid out because of slippery roads. None of those experiences have damaged my car or injured me and all have been incredibly minor. On the other hand I have witnessed the damage to five vehicles who hit the very large boulder in front of my driveway. Three of the five crashes happened in one very snowy, very icy day and two of the five crashes were by drunk drivers. All of them were because the driver was going over the speed limit or faster than they should given the conditions. If those drivers on the snow day had taken more caution they very likely would not have crashed. The drivers might have had ample education on how to drive on adverse slippery roads but they may not, and they always could have more.

I have also been nearly hit in a head on collision with a woman who was putting on makeup and using her phone when driving. By having more education on the dangers of using phones and other forms of distracted driving this woman might not have been in the position to possibly hit me. I managed to swerve out of her way but her car sustained major damage, she tore apart a wood fence, broke through a stone wall and took out a small tree. She only managed to miss the telephone pole by inches and she left with major bruising and a totaled car.

I have been talking a lot about how education might prevent accidents or at least have them less damaging but I have yet to discuss how education can help once an accident occurs. Knowing a little first aid might be helpful in some occasions but knowing what to do in general when in or witnessing an accident can help save lives or prevent greater injury. When all those people hit the boulder at my driveway and when that woman nearly hit me, I immediately called 911 and told them what happened. It has been proven that the more training and education someone has the less likely they are to lose their head in an emergency and remember what needs to be done. I had enough education to know that I needed to immediately call 911 and that I had to stay calm and evaluate the situation.