Driving Safely

Everytime you step foot into a car, you are putting yourself at risk for death. Now, that sounds a bit harsh to say, but that is the reality of driving, because not only do you need to be a safe driver, but you have to hope that everybody else on the road is a safe driver too.

Driver’s education is one of the ways to help prevent car accidents because like anything new in your life, you have to learn how to do it. Through driver’s education, it teaches you the basics of driving, like how to read road signs, understanding who has the right away in a given situation. And this is especially important because a lot of car accidents happen because one driver decided to go when they didn’t have the right away. It also helps spark good conversations, like about the importance of being focused while driving, especially with teenagers. And through these conversations it helps to understand the reality of driving and the responsibilities that come along with it. So with that being said, driver’s education is a very relevant class.

Being focused, wearing a seatbelt, having hands on the steering wheel and having the music off is one of many things a driver can do to prevent an accident. Why do I say this? It’s because when you’re driving the only thing you should be thinking about/doing is driving. I personally don’t know anybody that can drive safely without doing all of these things. Yes, having music on in the car is great, but when your favorite song comes on and you start jamming out, you get distracted so easily and then what happens. You start to not pay close attention to what you’re doing and or looking at and then bam you cause an accident. Same goes to not having your hands on the steering wheel, and instead having your phone in your hands. What could be so important that you can’t wait to look at that message or snapchat notification, until you are done driving and or have stopped in a safe area. Your life and others should always come before anything else. That is why being focused is key to safe and successful driving.

Personally, I haven’t ever been in a car accident, but I have seen some of my friends and family members drive irresponsibly at times. A lot of my friends like to have a lot of other friends in the car and I have noticed that sometimes they get so focused on the conversation then on driving that they start driving irresponsibly. In terms of more speeding up and slowing down, hitting the brakes harder and not paying as close attention to the road and road signs. I do sometimes catch my parents in the middle of eating food, while driving. Which is not safe to do because eating involves your hand and while driving your hands should be on the steering wheel.

The number one thing you can do to be a better and safer driver is by practicing. The more and more you practice, the better you get. With more practice of safe driving, you start to form healthy habits of safe driving that will carry on with you forever. By being a safe driver you not only are helping yourself, but you are helping others by making sure that you won’t be the cause of the next car accident. And with that you can help others become safer drivers by simply teaching them what you learned and helping them form safe driving habits, while they start their new journey of driving. Finally, by learning how to drive safely and responsibly, we could decrease the number of car accidents a year.