Education is Key

Learning
to drive was one of the hardest things I ever learned how to do. It
was stressful because the stakes were higher, unlike other things I
had learned. Any mistakes I made could seriously injure someone or
cost a hefty amount of money. Even though I have had my license for a
year, I am still learning new things.

My
parents taught me how to drive. My school didn’t offer driver’s
education and because of my busy schedule I didn’t have extra time
to take the class. My parents were great teachers, but they didn’t
know everything. Sometimes they were distracted by my siblings or if
they ever had to answer a phone call or text while I was driving;
their lack of knowledge and attention made me wish I had taken the
course. It would have been beneficial to have an instructor that
would be focusing all of their attention on me.

In
order to reduce the number of deaths caused by driving accidents, we
could guarantee that our drivers are properly prepared to drive. We
can ensure that they are prepared by making drivers ed mandatory for
sophomores through the school. This would establish a trend, that the
kids who will soon be receiving their licenses would be properly
prepared according to the state curriculum.

I
have been in three accidents. Two of the accidents happened when I
backed into a car and in the other accident, I took off another cars
side view mirror. In all three of the accidents I had not been paying
complete attention to what was going on around them. In the accident,
I had been rushed for time and was not driving as cautiously as they
should have been, or I had been distracted by some friends in the
car. Even though no laws were broken during any of these accidents
and no injuries resulted, harm was still caused and money still had
to be paid.

These
accidents could have been prevented if I had been taught how to deal
with distractions and how to be a defensive driver who is always
aware of their surroundings. If I had taken drivers ed I know that I
would have been able to learn how to be a defensive driver and how to
deal with distractions.

I
know that what I need to work on as a driver is being aware of what
is going on around me. In order for me to be more aware, I need to
limit the amount of distractions that are around me, like music in
the car, or trying to eat while I am driving.

We
should be prepared to drive, and to be properly prepared, we need
proper education. Having instructors who are trained to help us
become the best drivers as possible, are the key to making sure we
feel confident when we take a seat behind the wheel. Education is key
to reducing the amount of deaths by cars.