2024 Driver’s Ed Essay

Driver education is a crucial and important element that all drivers should be knowledgeable about. The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is that by bringing about awareness and strategies to avoid risky behaviors that could lead to these deaths, it will help to decrease the likelihood of accidents and such fatalities.

There are a few steps however, that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. For starters, always wear your seatbelt. Many of the newer cars nowadays have an alarm that goes off while a driver is driving if they do not have their seatbelt on. One, it can be annoying and two, the constant alarm can distract you from paying attention to your surroundings. Another step is driving while under the influence of any substance. Most people I believe think that it is just illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, but it is actually under the influence of any substance that could impair your driving. This next step they teach you in driver’s ed, but train for poor weather conditions. Not everywhere in the world is always sunshine and butterflies. There is rain, snow, fog, and all different kinds of weather conditions that could potentially cause more accidents. Becoming well-versed in these conditions will prepare a driver for when they occur and how to handle driving safely in them. Also, remember to drive slowly. Don’t speed because that only makes it even more probable that an accident will occur.

I personally have never been in a car accident or have seen my friends or family drive irresponsibly. However, when I was around 6 years old, I was in my basement on the phone with my neighbor asking if she wanted to play together. The TV was on, set to the news from when my dad had been downstairs earlier that day. I hadn’t paid any attention to it until for some reason I felt the need to turn my head and look. I immediately told my neighbor I couldn’t hang out anymore and hung up. What I saw that day on the television were my close family friends Emma, Alyson, and Katie. I didn’t know why they were being shown, but I knew something was wrong. I continued to watch and listened as the reporter said they had died due to a car accident caused by their aunt who had been driving under the influence. She was driving them home, along with her children as well, from a weekend away together and went onto the parkway the wrong way. She ended up killing herself, my three friends, her daughter, and more civilians due to her actions. At just the age of 6, I learned what death was and how it felt when the people closest to you are taken away in the blink of an eye. At just the age of 6, that shouldn’t be.

I mentioned before steps that others could take to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, but now I will mention the steps that I can take. For starters, I NEVER drive under any influence, no matter how much I have had. Yes, I am 21, but never will I ever get behind a wheel under any influence. Whether it’s a whole night of drinking or just one drink, I will not because knowing how I felt that day looking at the news, I don’t want to feel that again, let alone be the cause of it. Another step I can take is following the traffic rules. I can’t tell you how many times I have been driving and a car around me switched lanes or made a turn with no blinker, and blew through a red light. It really is crazy to me that once people finish driver’s ed, they just completely forget about all the rules and safety precautions that go along with driving. Another thing is trying to stay calm when I am driving. Now I live in New York, Long Island to be exact. So, without a doubt, there is always going to be some kind of traffic and people who just don’t follow any driving safety rules, but I know that if I get irritated or mad it can lead to driving irrationally and poor driving decisions. A step that I can take in order to help those driving around me to also drive safely though is if I am a passenger in someone else’s car, I will remind them to follow the traffic rules and laws.