Lives in the Hands of Drivers

Lives
in the Hands of Drivers

Jade
Tibbs

From
the driver’s seat, your point of view should ideally remain on the
road at all times. Staying alert to your surroundings and ensuring
you are doing your best to keep yourself and others safe. However,
after driving for a while, we become too comfortable with our
driving. We become careless with our driving habits. Our attention
shifts to the radio, to the person in the passenger seat, or to the
phone sitting on your lap that just got an incoming text message.
Knowing all these risk factors and the basic education of the road is
important to saving lives while behind the wheel.

The
importance of drivers ed in reducing the deaths as a result of
driving is extremely vital. Before getting your driver’s license,
most states require that you go to driving school to receive
education about the road and get driving experience with an
instructor. This is important because you learn the basic rules of
the road. Simple things like looking left and right before going or
who has the right of way at a stop sign or traffic light. Driving
school also gives insight into how bad accidents can be. They can
show terrifying pictures or videos of accidents to show the
importance of driving safely and the results of reckless driving.

Steps
that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving
are to start by staying more alert. You may be a safe driver but
someone else may be careless. Reducing things that can distract us is
another step to take. Making sure we don’t look at our phones or
text while driving can help tremendously. Not driving under the
influence can save lives as well. Taking that step in deciding to get
a ride home instead of driving while not sober can save many lives.

I
thankfully have never experienced being in a car accident before, but
I have had some family members in some car accidents. My uncle has
driven while under the influence and has hydroplaned into a ditch.
Thankfully, he did not hurt anyone. However, he had to get some
stitches in his face as a result of hitting his head on the steering
wheel during the accident.

Steps
that I can take to be a better and safer driver as well as help
others become safer on the road are to really take more care when
driving. Sometimes, I don’t pay attention enough as I should be
while driving. I can be a friend to rely on if others need a ride
home if they are under the influence. When I am the passenger, I can
make sure I’m not distracting the driver. We all need to work to
save the lives of others by taking simple steps to improve our own
driving.