Rule of the Road

As a teenager, I am all too familiar with dangerous driving. All too often I hear about a friend or acquaintance from school who got in an accident, many of which occur in the very parking lot of my High School. While doing reckless things may be a part of the teenage experience, things stop being just “reckless” and become very dangerous when drivers aren’t careful. It is crucial for us as drivers to better educate ourselves on safety in the car and on roadways, especially as new and teenage drivers.

I am extremely fortunate, none of my friends have been seriously harmed in an accident and neither have I. However, I recall when my Aunt and Cousins were in a serious accident. They lived in Texas at the time, and I remember my Mom telling me that they were hurt. It was hard to not be able to see them, and it caused a lot of stress on me and my family. My Aunt was driving along when someone (not paying attention) turned into them, causing their vehicle to flip over. My cousins were cut by glass and had to go to the hospital to care for their wounds. I remember seeing pictures of their injuries and feeling that no one should ever have to go through what they did.

Thankfully my Aunt and my Cousins are here today, but I know that for many people, their family members and friends are gone forever. Driving accidents are always heartbreaking, and often preventable. According to the CDC, 3,000 people die from distracted driving related accidents a year. That means 3,000 Aunts, Cousins, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters, torn away from their families because of distracted driving. Something as simple as Driver Education can help to reduce accidents and deaths. All the tools and techniques that are proven to reduce accidents: not texting, avoiding tailgating, driving the speed limit, are all skills that are taught in Drivers Education classes. If everyone in the accident had employed the skills learned from Drivers Education, maybe my family would never have gotten hurt. Driver Education is helpful in reducing the amount and severity of car accidents.

While driving always carries its share of risk, driving in my home state of Utah can be especially dangerous. With Winter storms that can leave a half foot of snow in my neighborhood, it becomes necessary to be extra cautious. 4 Wheel Drive can only help one so much, the skills required to drive in icy conditions need to be learned through experience, which is why teachers are needed. For me, I was taught by my parents. Both spent the better part of their life driving here, and were able to give me the knowledge I need to not put myself or others in harm’s way. I think that this type of Drivers Education provides the most important knowledge one can have about driving. Parents are able to teach us things about driving specific to where we live, because driving in Sandy, Utah is not the same as driving in New York City, and it is important for new drivers to understand all the aspects of driving in their home state.

While learning from your parents is important, I believe that it only lays the foundation for driving. Parents know a lot about driving, but they certainly don’t know everything. Official Drivers Education provides a resource for kids to learn everything required to follow road laws. A deep understanding of these laws make for the safest driving experience, something necessary for new drivers to be comfortable behind the wheel and learn to drive. When everyone else follows the rules of the road and maintains safety, it becomes much easier for new drivers to gain the experience they need. My parents can teach me about driving in the snow, but they don’t know everything about road laws. Driver’s Education is a necessity for maintaining safety on the roadways, for yourself and for others. Combining the lessons learned from my parents with the knowledge from Drivers Ed has made me a much better driver, and I know it has helped my peers in a similar way.

I am something of a hypocrite, because I was pulled over and given a ticket for speeding about a year ago. As a part of paying the ticket, I had the opportunity to go through Drivers Education Classes again as a way to become a better driver and to ensure that it would not happen again. Those classes taught me even more about Driving than I had already learned from the classes I took in order to get my license two years prior. I learned more about how to prevent accidents by being a safer, more thoughtful driver. I have not been pulled over for speeding since and have noticed that I am much more aware of my driving now than I used to be. Drivers Education helped me to become a good driver, and when I needed further correction, it made me an even better driver.

Drivers Education has been proven to make for better, safer drivers. Safers drivers means safer roads, and safer roads mean a safer community. Drivers Education is a great tool for limiting the dangers of driving, and is necessary to make our roads the safest they possibly can be. No one’s family should have to go through the loss that results from an accident, and with improved learning about the dangers of driving, maybe one day no one will.