Drivers ed: The Most Important Education

Driver
Education holds the utmost importance in preventing accidents and
reducing the number of deaths resulting from unsafe driving. I took
the Drivers ed course through my school, where my instructor
was able to help us develop and practice safe driving techniques,
like signaling before you turn, checking your mirrors when changing
lanes, or even coming to a complete stop at stop signs. This may seem
to be common sense, but a lot of deaths occur when these safe driving
practices are not followed. My drivers ed teacher shared
his own personal experiences that helped to reinforce the importance
of safe driving habits. He also brought in guest speakers, one of
whom emphasized the importance of knowing the little things. He
talked about the loss of his own daughter who was driving while
intoxicated. It is learning about real life experiences, along with
being taught safe driving skills in Drivers ed courses that
prevents accidents and minimizes the loss of life.

Although
I use the education that I have received to practice safe driving, in
some cases all the education in the world does not prevent accidents.
One morning I was driving to school when I heard a large thud in the
back of my car. I pulled off the road, got out of the car, and
realized that I had been rear ended by the driver that was behind me.
Although I had done nothing wrong, the driver behind me had been
following too close and perhaps was not paying attention. Because of
my training, I was able to apply the knowledge that I had learned. I
had checked in with the other driver, called the police and my
parents to notify them of the situation and also had gotten all of
the necessary paperwork for dealing with accidents. This experience
not only solidified for me how much I had actually learned but also
demonstrated how an accident affects you when others drive
irresponsibly.

There
are two important factors that I would use to help others. The first
is being able to take control of your own vehicle. “Taking control
of your vehicle” pertains to both externally and internally.
Externally, in order to be a safe driver you need to make sure that
the car you’re driving is where it needs to be on the road at all
times. Internally, when driving there can be plenty of distractions
that negatively affect safe driving. One more common one is having
passengers, and if they are distracting it is important to take
control and limit the distractions. These steps help to insure both
your safety and others. The second factor is educating others. For
example the accident that I had was a result of someone who was
following too close.. Knowing what can happen in that situation I
can relay that information to my friends. Overall the deaths and
injuries that come from driving impact many people, both directly and
indirectly, but with proper drivers ed many could be
prevented.