The Important of Safe Driving

For many young adults earning a driver’s license is a rite of passage. However, it is not uncommon to hear teens groan and dread the long and often boring process of undergoing driver’s education. I’ve frequently heard my peers lament, saying things like “What’s the point?” or “Driving is self-explanatory.” While I do sympathize with their complaints, my own experience in driver’s education allowed me to learn things that I would have never considered otherwise.

Driver’s education is a comprehensive guide to being behind the wheel. While a state-approved driver’s handbook covers the same topics, it only provides learners with a sample of things to expect on the written and driving test. My online drivers education course delved into basic things like instructions on how to share the road, important laws, and the purpose of certain signage for example. But the course also explained hazardous weather conditions, how the forces of physics are at work while behind the wheel, and what to do in fast-paced, life-threatening situations.

While these topics are crucial, they are not usually at the top of people’s minds. They are also not common knowledge. However, driver’s education is required to teach learners these topics. By giving students in-depth explanations and examples (through the use of videos or illustrations), driver’s education gives future drivers the necessary knowledge to avoid fatal accidents. For example, someone who did not undergo driver’s education may assume that they should use their high beams on a foggy road. Unfortunately, by doing this, they lower their visibility and endanger others and themselves, increasing the risk of getting into a collision.

Additionally, these courses make people care by providing statistics and appealing to one’s sense of self-preservation and compassion. You wouldn’t want your reckless driving to be the reason someone doesn’t get home in one piece tonight, would you?

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths include concealing cell phones so that you are not tempted to check them. In the modern age, it’s very easy to get distracted by a mobile device. Most modern cars even come with built-in screens and Bluetooth connection features, ensuring that users are always connected to the digital world. Sadly, distracted driving has caused over 3,300 deaths in 2022 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Everyday life moves rapidly, leaving many people to feel inclined to respond to a text message or read a seemingly urgent email. However, when you are behind the wheel, no notification is worth risking your life.

Another step includes making sure you’re in the right mental space to drive. Many people may feel that driving is only a physical action. You need your eyes to see, and functioning limbs to ensure mobility, but driving requires you to be in the right state of mind. One must be physically and mentally well to properly operate a vehicle. If you are ill, overly emotional, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you cannot safely operate a vehicle. To avoid reckless behavior such as road rage, or careless mistakes such as failing to signal before merging lanes, drivers should check in with themselves before getting behind the wheel and make sure they are in the proper, focused headspace.

I have not been in any car accidents. However, I am often a passenger in the car of a family friend. He is an older man named Gary who always fails to put on his seatbelt. Even with constant reminders from me, his wife, and the dinging of the car, no one can get him to wear his seatbelt. He never provides a reason as to why, but I can assume it’s due to discomfort. He also tends to speed which has caused him to step on his breaks abruptly or fail to stop at stop signs or intersections. Despite these flaws, Gary insists on driving, even though I am capable of driving us safely to our destinations.

Some steps I can take to be a better driver would probably be to set boundaries in my car. Oftentimes, I’ll have very chatty passengers. Although they might not mean to, these passengers will often speak at very high volumes which annoys me. There are already so many things I need to account for while driving and trying to tune out their conversation adds unnecessary factors to this list.

On the other hand, one way I can ensure that others around me are better drivers would be to hold them accountable. Gary for example, speeds and fails to put on his seatbelt and while I have pointed out these flaws to him, he has failed to change his behavior. As a passenger, I cannot control what he does but I know I can do a better job of not allowing myself to be complacent in his risky driving behavior.