In The Driver’s Seat

Teenagers that take part in a Driver’s Education course are much less likely to cause a fatal car crash or fall victim to them. These courses inform students on the laws of the road, what they should expect, and what they need to anticipate once they go out onto the road. It is vital for teens to get informed before they not only risk their lives but others as well.

Often people assume teenagers drive recklessly and don’t obey these easy to follow laws. But, why is that ? Some teens might feel peer pressured by their friends to drive faster or run a red light but before someone decides to risk it, they should think about the families they are going to affect. To prevent accidents and reduce the amount of driving related deaths, drivers should always pay attention to what’s going on around them. They should always be alert and look out for children who might run out onto the road. Speed limit should never be exceeded, especially around neighborhoods, where people are more likely to be out and walking. To be as safe as possible, vehicle conditions should always be impeccable. Make sure turn signals are always working and the tread of your tires aren’t too worn. Worn tires can often cause your car to slip in wet weather conditions. Once again, you should never go above the speed limit, particularly when it’s raining or snowing, as it greatly increasing your chances of getting into a car accident.

Knowing the right-of-way rules gives you knowledge over when to yield and who to yield to first. For example, most people believe that the person who gets to the stop sign first, gets to go. But what about if you both get there at the same time? Many time incidents like these, where both drivers become stubborn over the idea that they have the right to go first, causes fatal crashes. People can get severely injured, die, and cause great damage to property. It is best to get informed before driving on the streets. Also, adjusting mirrors, seats, and checking your blind spot overall helps the driver see all the cars around them. Blind spots cause accidents, so it its extremely important for the driver to quickly check before making a lane change. There can be people on bicycles, toddlers, animals, objects, etc. that can be in the way or might show up unexpectedly.

A few months, my brother and I were running errands and were set to make a right turn. Right as he was making the turn a man in a bicycle unexpectedly appeared. I also had not seen the man in the side mirrors previous to my brother making the turn. My brother hit the brake but it was too late, and the man was still hit. Although the car wasn’t going fast, the man still fell from his bicycle. We immediately got off and went to check on him. He said he was fine but we insisted on taking him to the hospital. He repeatedly declined the offer and said he couldn’t miss work. The point of this short story is to emphasize that you should always be alert. Yes, people might suddenly appear or jaywalk like the man did, but always be on the lookout. The driver will have to go through consequences, and their conscience will heavily remind them of what they did. Overall, it is easy to see that Driver’s Education is something everyone should do. Every year, thousands of people die due to crashes, I encourage everyone to at least read a driver handbook and continue to stay informed.