Encouraging Safe Driving from the Passenger Seat and the Drivers Seat

Driver education is important because it can help prevent deaths, and further educate people on the consequences of their mistakes. Many drivers do not recognize the effects of their decisions. Driver education is a critical part of driving, and continuing your education after getting your license can prevent accidents, and save more lives. Through meaningful conversations, and better advocacy, many people can receive the education they need for better driving skills.

June 13, 2023 is a day I will never forget, because it was the day I lost one of my closest friends due to a careless driver. My friend, Yaya, was the passenger, and he was in a car with a careless driver. If the driver could have had better education on driving, Yaya would still be here. Yaya and the driver were on one of the most dangerous roads in our town, nicknamed “the roller coaster road”, because of the many hills, and sharp curves. The driver was going too fast, and lost control of the car and crashed into a tree. The driver was alive, but in a critical state, but Yaya was pronounced dead at the scene. Both Yaya and the driver needed better driver education, and his death, along with many others, could have been prevented. The driver is still alive, and hopefully receiving better education on the importance of safe driving.

Many deaths, similar to Yaya’s, can be prevented by having required classes ordered by the state government to help educate drivers, and freshen up on their skills. One example that would be helpful, would be to have a required class once or twice per year, with an in-person course, and a skills course, to receive critiques and to be an overall safer driver to keep our roads safe. Another option would be to have more classes in high schools, and even in middle school, on the importance of safe driving, or having a unit about it in History classes, or as an elective. By implementing these classes on different levels in the community, we can foster safe drivers, and help further education. By coming together as a community, roads will be safer, and teens will be better prepared for their future.

My sister has always been a great driver, and by paying attention in her drivers education courses, she was well prepared for driving on her own. A few summers ago, we were going to a church function at a bowling alley, on a very busy road right off the highway. We were exiting the highway making a right-hand turn, and we were rear-ended by a driver not paying attention to the road. Luckily, no one was hurt, except for my sister’s car, but the whole ordeal taught me a very important lesson. I learned to always be paying attention to the road, and to double, and triple check before making a turn. My sister was a safe, and skilled driver that day, and she taught me a valuable lesson that day.

One way I have taken the things I have learned about safe driving in class, and from my family, is to never use my phone while driving. Additionally, I have learned to set my music before I begin driving, instead of shifting through songs while on the road. By not using my phone, and putting music on before I begin driving, I am setting myself up for success to be a safe driver, and to prevent accidents. One way I can ensure I am being a safe driver is to make sure I am driving the speed limit, and not speeding even when the people behind me want to. By driving at a safe speed, more accidents can be prevented. One way I can help others be safe drivers is to encourage my friends and family to practice skills like staying off their phones when driving, and to drive the speed limit, even when they want to go faster. Furthermore, I can help create more awareness about safe driving in my community with events or ads in the newspaper. By encouraging education, safe drivers will become bountiful.

By encouraging education, and implementing action items that enforce the importance of education, communities will have better drivers, and safer roads. I have learned the importance of safe driving, and by experiencing the damages of unsafe drivers, I know that I need to do everything I can to help have safer roads. Through meaningful conversations, and further education, people can be more informed on the consequences of their actions, and safe drivers can be encouraged for generations to come.