The Importance of Driver Education from a Truck Driver

The importance of driver education to help reduce the number of deaths is often taken far too lightly. The importance of driver education can give a person a real solid foundation to being a defensive and offensive driver. Often, young teens obtaining their drivers permit are required in some states to take a driver’s education course. This is just one way of reducing the number of deaths because of driving.

Steps that can be taken to reduce deaths related to driving include staying alert, not driving distracted, taking breaks to stretch, and stay off handheld devices. Other ways to reduce deaths is getting adequate sleep so as not to drive fatigued. Making sure your vehicle is maintained. Low air pressure can cause blow outs which lead to loss of control accidents, possibly resulting in death. Finally, wearing your safety belt can reduce the risk of injury or death by keeping a person from being ejected from the vehicle.

As a truck driver, I see irresponsible driving habits daily. From ladies putting make-up on while driving, to people reading a book propped up on the steering wheel. Most often it is the use of handheld devices such as cellular phones, that cause many of the accidents I witness. I have seen people trying to engage in sexual orientations, as well physical assaults. Most drivers do not realize that truck drivers have a bird eye view of what you are doing in your vehicle, whether you have tinted windows or not.

Texting while driving is the main thing I see. In the 3-5 seconds it takes to text out a message, that person has rearended another car. In the most severe and fatal situations, that text has landed a vehicle straight into the back of a semi, causing decapitation and crushing injuries. What the public does not know is that the rear of a semi-trailer was equipped with steel bumpers. The reason for this was it was supposed to prevent the decapitations from happening. However, this has only led to more deaths resulting in crush injuries due to high-speed rear collisions.

There are many ways people can be better and safer drivers. Staying off your cell phone is the top way to reduce your risk of death while driving or operating a vehicle. Driving distracted has many forms. From adjusting the volume on your radio, to grabbing the lipstick out of the purse. Crying babies and screaming children are also forms of distracted driving. Spilling your soda or even unwrapping a hamburger can cause a person’s attention to stray from the road.

Being safe also means taking precautions by being a defensive driver. Anticipating other drivers is a great way to give yourself time to adjust and look for an out. Adjusting your speed to road and weather conditions. Things as simple as checking weather reports before you leave can help you decide is you need to pull over or that it is safe to continue.

One of my biggest peeves is people who tailgate. Particularly those that tailgate a semi. As a smaller vehicle, once you get up to the tail of the trailer, the driver can no longer see you. That tells the driver one thing: you, the tailgater, cannot see what is in front of the truck. Therefore, if the traffic in front of the truck is stopping, and now the tailgater has not allowed for enough braking distance. The result is either a hard braking or a rear end collision. Both of which are avoidable.

Giving yourself adequate stopping time is another form of defensive driving skills. A car needs a 2 to 3 second gap to have adequate time to stop. It is a form of defensive driving that goes above and beyond basic rules and mechanics of driving techniques. Driving defensive greatly reduces the risk of collisions and improves road safety for everyone.

In contrast, offensive driving is when drivers drive aggressively. Certain situations may require this type of driving. Such an example would be swerving to avoid an object in the road. Offensive driving is a more dangerous driving method than defensive driving, as it involves taking control of the road and forcing vehicles around you to adapt.

Driver education provides a solid foundation to teach people how to be a defensive and offensive driver. Both techniques can be utilized to reduce the number of deaths on our roadways. By staying alert and not distracted by electronic devices, the likeliness of accidents is greatly diminished. Driver education is a great tool in reducing fatalities.