You only live once? Then drive safely!

Zach Crandall

You only live once? Then drive safely!

You only live once, right? So why be careless with your one life?
Around 40,000 deaths in the United States alone are caused by car
accidents. Many of these deaths were caused by a lack of drivers’
education and could thus be solved by better educating drivers.
Drivers ed is designed to allow drivers to not only be good
drivers for themselves but to be good drivers for others as well.
More often than not, car accidents contain at least two vehicles, and
while one of the drivers may have been good enough for themselves,
they were not a good enough driver for the two of them. Good Driver’s
Ed can help reduce such accidents by first teaching everyone to be a
good driver for themselves, and secondly by teaching everyone to be a
safe driver for others as well. While any driver has taken and passed
the tests to get their license, there is no telling how experienced a
driver is in various situations that may or may not have happened to
them years down the road. Simply reviewing your states driving laws
and taking quick refresher courses can help you be so much more
prepared for unusual circumstances. Living in Arizona, we don’t get
much snowfall or many floods. That being said, they have happened,
and not refreshing on those and other uncommon driving conditions can
lead to an accident and maybe even death, for you or others on or off
the road.

As for helping others to be better drivers, there are many things you
can do to help. Turning signals themselves are designed not for you
but for others to be notified of what your intentions are. Making
sure to use them correctly can help others anticipate what you are
doing so that they can plan accordingly. Many if not most accidents
are caused by the appearance of something unexpected. Don’t get lax
in anticipating the movements of others. Expect the unexpected!
Often, we are in a rush to get places or just don’t want to be on
the road any longer. When in these situations, we can make irrational
and risky decisions, such as turning into the flow of traffic when
there is a very small window or trying to run a yellow light. These
are usually split-second decisions, and are thus unexpected to other
drivers. It is better to be safe than sorry, so do the right thing
and slow down and analyze your situation. Doing so can help you be
more predictable and save others from the risk of car accidents.
Remember: follow Drivers Ed, and don’t wind up dead!