Be a Hero by Being an Educated Driver

When people get in a car, most people don’t think “what is the probability I am going to get in an accident”, however, sadly there are many accidents that happen every second. Some accidents are completely an accident, but others not so much. This is why driving education is so extremely important to help lower the rate of car accidents, and deaths due to driving. Let’s be honest, driving is not going anywhere. It is how we as human’s get from one place to another, and it should be as safe as possible since almost every person drives in their lifetime.

As a driver, driving education is very important. When you get behind the wheel, you have a responsibility to know the rules of the road, be alert, and pay attention. The more educated the driver is, the less chance there is for them to cause an accident. Sadly you can’t control other people and how they drive, but you can dictate how you drive behind the wheel. Being an educated driver means being comfortable in your car, and knowing how to drive it properly, knowing the speed limit, knowing how to read road signs, paying attention to other drivers, and being alert by staying off your phone and any other distractions. By doing all these things can help prevent you from getting in an accident, and potentially saving a life.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are having more DUI checkpoints to assure there are less drunk drivers on the road. This will allow the road to become safer for others. Another step is to incorporate driving education in the classrooms for kids who have their license, and who are about to get theirs. I know when I first got my license I did not know all of the road signs meant, and some rules on the road that you should just “know” such as no changing lanes in a tunnel. I think having a class in highschool dedicated to driving rules would be very helpful to new driver’s. As someone who took their driver’s test during covid, I think that both driver’s test and permit tests should be a little harder. I know when you turn 16 all you care about is passing your driver’s test, and it is devastating if you fail, but I think it is important to make sure that the people who pass are going to be safe drivers on the road. This will assure both their safety and others. In terms of speeding, more cops could sit out to help reduce the amount of cars that speed. I feel like speeding is one of the most common ways an accident can occur. Especially a bad one that could potentially take a life. Having more cops in place could ticket those who are speeding, and remind others that they should slow down. No one wants to pay a fine.

From my experience, I have never been in a serious car accident as a driver, but I have been in a few minor ones as a passenger. The one my mom got sideswiped, and the man said he couldn’t see because the sun was in his eyes. That may or may not have been true but we were lucky it just left a few scratches. However, my sister got in a pretty bad one due to speeding. Her best friend was driving and she was the passenger. They were going around this one bend. My sister admitted that her friend was speeding and going very fast. Her friend lost control, and they went off the road up a bank and wrecked into a house. Luckily they were both wearing a seat belt, and neither of them got severely hurt but they were definitely banged up. My sister mentioned how she will ALWAYS wear her seatbelt, and that she gets PTSD whenever someone else is speeding and tells them to slow down. This just shows how dangerous speeding and not following the rules can be.

The steps I can take myself are to make sure I am going the speed limit, stay off my phone when I am driving, be a good passenger when others are driving meaning not distract them, stay alert, and help them with directions. Overall, driving education is extremely important to assure driving safety. The more educated you are the less chance for an accident. We have already lost too many people due to driving. Following the rules on the road, and making sure you are driving safely can help save a life, or multiple.