The Importance of Being an Educated Driver

The Importance of Being an Educated Driver

You are finally 16, you’re excited to get behind the wheel by yourself. What most young people don’t understand is it’s not just your life that is in danger when you are a reckless driver. It is the mother beside you who is going extra slow because she has 3 kids in the car, or the sweet grandparents on their way to Thanksgiving dinner with their family. These are only some reasons it is important to educate yourself in drivers’ education. Teens who take drivers education are less likely to get into an accident their first 2 years of driving. Think about it this way, when you go to the hospital, how would you feel if the doctor who is treating you never actually went to medical school. If you’re like most people, you would be extremely worried. This is how drivers around you and family members that care about your safety feel when you are behind the wheel and you did not learn driver’s education.

Let’s freshen up on driver’s education; You can take a driver’s education course before obtaining your license. By doing so, you will already know how to handle heavy rain while driving, dark nights, hydroplaning, busy interstates, and other difficult circumstances that someone who did not take driver’s education might not know. Now let’s talk statistics, 32.8% of high school students have texted drove at the same time, drivers under the age of 20 are the most distracted drivers, 56% of teens talk on the phone while driving (which doubles the chance of an accident), 13% of teens text and drive, ¼ of fatal accidents involved underage drinking, and 70% of teens who died in drinking and driving accidents did not wear seat belts. With that being said, some steps we can take to reduce the number of deaths caused by driving is to stay off our phones while driving, our phones are easily the biggest distraction we have as young drivers, do not consume alcohol or any other drug before or while driving, and wear your seat belts! They keep you inside your vehicle during a crash, being ejected from your vehicle is almost always deadly.

Accidents are everywhere, we see them on television, social media, drive by them, and some of us have been a car crash. Whatever way you have experienced a car crash, they are all heart droppers. My personal experience of a car accident is getting hit by an 18-wheeler, the crash was considered a side crash collision, commonly known as a T-bone, I was younger so I wasn’t really injured. I was knocked out and had a bloody nose. I was more worried about my mother who was driving. But luckily, she only had minor injuries. The driver of the truck was going way to fast and could not stop before the light turned red, which caused him to T-bone us. Riding with someone who is an irresponsible driver is wishing you had a break in the passenger seat. I think everyone has seen or been in a car with someone who is an irresponsible driver. Although you can’t fix everyone’s driving you can take steps to be a better driver yourself and help others become one as well. By taking drivers education you become a safer driver, this is also helping others that are on the road. Once you take drivers education really absorb what you learned and apply it when you are driving. Drivers education will teach you the importance of staying aware and off your phone, what road signs mean, state laws, self-defense driving skills, and much more information to get you prepared to drive on your own. Help keep yourself and others safe by educating yourself on drivers education.