DMV Scholarship

Driver education is an essential part in reducing the number of driving related deaths. In drivers ed, you are taught a couple things. (1) How to handle your own vehicle and its actions. (2) How to handle other vehicles and their actions. (3) How to handle minor issues with your vehicle. (4) How to handle serious weather conditions in your vehicle. (5) The common causes of car accidents. (6) How to avoid getting in a car accident.

As a highschool student who has been driving for over 3 years. I have learned that not everyone should be allowed to be behind the wheel of an automobile. I have seen some scary things from those who do not follow the rules of the road. Things like phones, passengers, makeup, and alcohol/drugs are all vital causes for many accidents on the road. People have become impatient and tell themselves “it’ll just take a second.” Little do they know that a “second” is long enough for an accident to occur. A good way to avoid any of these scenarios is to ask yourself “is it necessary?” Do I need to answer this call? Do I need to see what my friend is showing me? Do I need to put this makeup on right now? And if it is necessary, then it’s as simple as pulling over. Find a safe place to pull off the road to do what you need to do. This single action could save lives.

I have been fortunate enough to have never been in an accident. But I have had friends who have. Earlier this year one of my closest friends finally got his driver’s license. He had been talking about it for years and even bought his first car. A day later when he was driving at night he was T-boned by a woman speeding down a back road. She was distracted and never even hit the breaks. The truck flipped and was totaled. Luckily for my friend and his passenger, they survived with just some minor injuries. But he could have lost his life due to a person who told herself “it’ll just take a second.”

There are a couple easy steps that can be taken to avoid such a situation. The first step being what I mentioned earlier. Asking yourself if the action is necessary. The second step is prediction, you never know what a driver will do next, but you can predict what they will do next. Observe how drivers are acting. Are they swerving, speeding, or just being overall reckless? Can you see the driver? Are they doing something in their vehicle that could prevent them from reacting in a serious situation? Being observant and predicting the possible results of a situation can save you from an accident. The third step is focus and positioning. When driving, driver position can affect reaction time. A driver should sit up straight, with both hands on the wheel. Hands should be in either a 10 & 2 or 9 & 3 position. Drivers should be focused on not only the road in front of them, but also the road next too, and behind them. Drivers who are slouched, with one, or no hands on the wheel will not be able to react as quickly as a driver who is positioned correctly. The fourth step is defensive driving. Defensive driving is set skills and techniques that help drivers anticipate and respond to potential dangers on the road. Defensive driving includes anticipating potential dangers, maintaining a safe distance, adjusting for conditions, avoiding distractions, and obeying traffic laws.

In conclusion, safety on the road is up to the driver. You cannot control what other drivers will do, but you can prepare, and predict. As long as you do your part in being a good driver; the road will become a safer place. We will never be able to get rid of road deaths but we can lessen them by following some simple steps. These steps being; asking yourself if the action is necessary, prediction, focus and positioning, and defensive driving. These are all tasks that can be mastered by anyone as long as they are willing to put in the effort. And if you don’t want to put in the effort. Think about your family, your friends. Think about how quickly they can be taken away by people like you who don’t take driving seriously. A license is a passageway to operate a multiton machine that can kill. And it is your responsibility to keep that from happening.