The Importance of Driver Education

When it comes to the importance of driver education, there are many different factors that contribute. The first factor is reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. Through drivers ed, you learn how you should react in different scenarios. For example, you might learn which way to steer if a car is in your lane and coming straight for you, which would prevent one or even multiple deaths. There are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. The biggest thing I believe we, as drivers, can do is to not have any distractions at the palm of our hands. For example, we should put our phones somewhere we cannot easily grab it, this way, it isn’t a distraction for us, and our eyes are solely focused on the road. Another thing I believe we can do is turning off our music, or, at least, turning it down a little, this way we are able to hear anything that might tell us that we are about to cause an accident. Another thing I believe we can do is making sure we are rested enough to drive. For example, if you are wide awake, your reaction time will be good, and you might prevent accidents from happening. But, if you are sleepy and lethargic, you might have a longer reaction time, and that might cost someone’s life. I understand that some people might not be able to wait to be somewhere, which is where public transportation comes into play. You can go to a bus stop, call an Uber, or even call a friend and ask them to pick you up. In my opinion, it is better to be late somewhere then never show up. Another thing I believe we can do is to make sure our posture is correct. For example, if you are sitting nice and tall, you will be more attentive and will have a shorter reaction time. However, if you are slouching and not caring, you will probably be less attentive and will have a longer reaction time. I have had an experience of being in a car accident, both as the driver, and the passenger. Last year, I was driving to school and was about to make a U-turn into the parking lot. I was looking at my blind spots and making sure I was good to go. I thought I was clear, but as soon as I pushed the gas, I ran into someone who was in my blind spot, totaling my car. This is a prime example that driver education is very important. Even though I caused an accident, I knew exactly what to do as a result of my driver education class I took the previous year. About two months ago, my neighbor got into an accident as well. Something had fallen off her dashboard and she went to pick it up, but she ended up crashing into a pole, also totaling her car. She ended up with a burn on her chest from her seatbelt. She was being careless and didn’t think what would happen if she took her eyes off the road for even just one second. Even though no one died as a result of these accidents, they could have been prevented if her and I simply double checked everything and paid closer attention in driver’s education. This all shows that we truly need to be more aware of the deaths and how to prevent those deaths by simple actions we can take. One step I can take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road is to pay closer attention to when my parents are driving, that way I can see what they do to be safe. Something else I can do is to draw posters around my school and raise awareness for driver education. All of these reasons are why we should take driver education very seriously. With driver education, we can be safer, and we can allow others to be safer. It can literally save lives. In conclusion, I would like to say that driver education is one of the most important things we can do in our lives. The teachers are there to help keep us safe, help us be smart, and help us to be successful. All we have to do to reduce deaths as a result of poor driving is to take a class and just be smart about driving.