The Importance of Safe Driving

Having the ability and freedom to drive is a great responsibility. To some it may seem easy, but, in reality, there is a lot of practice that goes into becoming a good driver. Driver education is very important when it comes to first learning how to drive and the responsibilities you have on the road. If one is not educated on such topic, there can be severe consequences. By being educated on how to drive, it helps reduce the number of fatalities we have here in the United States every year.

There are many factors that come into play when talking about what steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. One can begin with the most important steps such as learning and obeying traffic laws, being predictable, avoiding distractions such as being on the phone or eating/drinking while driving, make sure one is well rested before getting behind the wheel, and to not be under the influence while driving.

Personally, I have never been involved in a car accident and neither have any of my family members, but during my junior year in high school, I was a part of a Driver’s Education program. One day when I attended the class, I noticed a woman was there. It turned out she was going to be a guest speaker for the day. The woman spoke upon her experience of drunk driving in 2015 and how it changed her life. She worked at a bar in Miami, and one night after work, she had one too many drinks and decided to drive herself home. When she got home that night, the police showed up at her doorstep and told her she was under arrest. The woman was greatly confused as to why she was being arrested when she was safe in her apartment and hadn’t hurt anyone. Well, while she was driving home that night, she was going 30 mph over the speed limit and hit and killed a pedestrian walking on the side of the road. Due to the fact that she was so drunk, she didn’t even realize she had done such a thing and kept driving home. This situation turned into a hit and run case. In the end, she ended up going to jail for 3 years and is still on probation to this day.

After hearing this terrible story, I realized that being a good driver is very important on the road, the slightest mistake could get you or someone else killed. Therefore, the steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver is to always think safety first no matter what, be aware of my surroundings at all times, don’t depend on other drivers at all, always stay within the speed limit, and to always have an escape route just in case anything unexpected ever happens. These steps can apply to anyone and be useful for drivers that are just starting to get on the road.