Driver Education Initiative Application Essay

Driver Education Initiative Application Essay

Kailynn M. Parrish

When learning to drive, almost everyone is nervous. This should say something about the dangers and reputation that driving holds. Driving should not be a scary thing, but because of all that can occur, it holds that connotation. Driver Education can help to reduce this anxiety, as it can help people to become more knowledgeable on the rules of the road and precautions that need to be taken.

Driver Education’s importance when looking to reduce the number of deaths while driving is huge. Everything begins in Driver Education; that is where teens learn all that they need to know before getting in the car and onto the road. Driver Education needs to be extremely informative in this aspect, because that is where the most important and accurate information is coming from. However, if the class is not interactive and engaging, students will lose interest, seeing it as “boring common knowledge” and stop giving attention to the information. This would cause them to barely get their license, and become a dangerous driver.

One of the biggest steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving would most likely still be decreasing phone usage. This has been going on for a very long time, of course increasing as smart phones became more and more popular. Although laws have been out into place, that has not stopped anyone from texting while driving, checking social media, etc. causing fatal wrecks daily. Something else that I feel as though isn’t really thought of is road rage. Everyone gets it, but most people don’t realize how extreme it is for some people. Doing something that seems so simple and quick as flashing the bright headlights could be enough to be deadly in some cases. Many folks will make obscene gestures at one another and it quickly turns extreme, such as one trying to run the other off of the road. These are only two examples of deadly things that can occur while driving; to think that there are countless others is bone-chilling.

An experience that I’ve encountered of someone driving irresponsibly happens to coincide with the road rage that was previously discussed. I was riding in the car with my step dad and someone following very close behind him, now of course that gets on everyone’s nerves, but he brake checked them while we were going about seventy five miles an hour on the highway. This person in turn flashed their brights at him so that it was incredibly bright in his rearview mirror, and passed him as soon as they had the chance. Although I thought that it was over, it was not; my step dad drifted towards them a few times making it seem like he was running them off of the road. He said he wasn’t, but I’m sure it scared them because it scared me a lot. I think about that moment quite often because it seemed so immature and very unnecessary, and it could have potentially been really bad if something were to go wrong.

To be a better driver, I know that there are some times where I can be more alert than I am. Driving can become very “automatic” and my brain goes on autopilot; a lot of the time my drive to work does not consist of a lot of conscious decision-making, and I know that that can be dangerous in itself. To help others around me, I could have those uncomfortable conversations that I would not normally catch myself having; such as telling my step dad that what he did was totally uncalled for instead of keeping quiet. Or telling my friends to make sure they’re driving safe and actually being serious about it, not just saying it out of habit.

Driving is definitely not something that’s going away anytime soon, so making sure that we’re doing everything that we can to be as safe as possible is crucial to our future. Doing your part while driving is where everything starts so that others can be safe drivers as well.