Safe Driving Saves Lives

Driver education bears great significance in reducing the number of driving related deaths. These courses review defensive driving strategies, rules of the road, and driving safety. It also reviews the rules regarding drinking and driving and the consequences of these actions. The course provides statistics of death rates as a result of unsafe driving. When I was enrolled in a driver education course, hands-on practice with driving as well as classroom instruction which reviewed the rules of the road were provided. We had two instructors, one who taught us the actual driving and parking skills and the other who discussed the rules of the road in the state in which we live. The course was life-changing for me since I was unaware of the exact statistics regarding death and injuries from reckless driving, drunk driving, texting and driving, and speeding.

I believe that guest speakers making presentations during driver education courses can help reduce the number of deaths related to driving. When I was enrolled in driver education, our classroom course instructor let us know that we would be listening to a guest speaker for the day. We did not expect anything unusual as a clean cut, well dressed young man walked in front of the class. Dressed in a button-down shirt, khakis and loafers, he eloquently introduced himself and told us about his background. He explained how he had attended college and pursued a degree in teaching. As he spoke, we had no idea where his story was headed. He told a story of how he had dropped his phone off for repair.  When he picked up his phone 3 hours later and turned his phone on, he realized that he had received numerous text messages. As he was driving home, he made the disastrous decision to read and respond to all the text messages he had received. For the subsequent 20 minutes driving home, he proceeded to text back all the missed texts. So distracted by texting while driving, he ended up having a serious accident. A police officer had someone pulled over on the side of the road. He crashed into the police officer, leaving this young husband and father paralyzed. He was devastated at the result of his actions. He faced legal consequences that only got worse when the police officer passed away from his injuries. Now the man who worked to become a teacher, was a convicted felon with charged of vehicular manslaughter. His dream of being a teacher was over. He struggles to find employment due to his charges. The foolish decision to text and drive ended the life of a police officer, left a young wife a widow, left a toddler fatherless, and left this certified teacher with no chance to ever become a teacher. Hearing this speaker was eye-opening for me. One text while driving can ruin the lives of so many people. I believe that more speakers like him should be incorporated into driver’s education classes. Students should hear stories from people who suffered the consequences of their high-speed driving, drunk driving, texting and driving, and road rage. Hearing firsthand the effects of reckless decisions in driving would help young people to better understand the importance of being a cautious driver.

Fortunately, I have not had the experience of being in a car accident, but I have seen friends drive recklessly. One of my friends purposely runs red lights to “save time”. After one ride with that friend, I vowed to never ride with her again. One time, I was with a group of friends and the driver entered the highway going the wrong way. Instead of an entrance ramp, he entered on an exit ramp driving toward oncoming traffic. I was fortunate enough to realize this in time and scream, “Pull over! We are going the wrong way!” Luckily, he was able to pull over and turn around without an accident. I also have classmates that brag about driving under the influence of alcohol. I would not get into a car with a drunk driver. Deciding who to ride with is a critical part in remaining safe on the road.

In order to be a better driver and to keep others safer on the road, I have vowed to not text and drive, to drive at the speed limit, to not react to driver’s road rage toward me, and to never drink and drive. I have learned the importance of checking to make sure all the car lights are working, making sure I have enough gas in the car, making sure I do not drive if I took medication that could make me drowsy like certain antihistamines or cold medicines. I plan to take defensive driving classes every three years throughout my life to keep me well-versed on the rules of the road.