“B.R.A.K.E.S”

There is a story I once heard that haunts me till this day. A couple of years back in drivers Ed my instructor told us the story of two young boys who passed away at the cause of irresponsible driving. It was said that the older brother of the two was driving eighty miles per hour on a road with a speed limit of forty five. He lost control and ran straight into the truck . The impact killed the brothers instantly. As a result of this, the father of the two Doug Herbert, decided he wanted to do something to prevent other parents from getting the same devastating news. He created a program called “B.R.A.K.E.S.: Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe. He took this traumatic life experience and turned it into something to help others. Truly an inspirational story which makes me want to do all I can to continue spreading the word about driver safety. Driver education is incredibly effective and important in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. I personally have taken a drivers ed course and can most definitely say it has helped me and affected the way I drive and how cautious I am. Drivers education teaches you all the important rules of driving, how to complete certain driving abilities such as 3-point turn or parallel park, and prepares you for the real world. It is an essential experience when it comes to learning which I believe should be required prior to actually taking the test. The more kids know the less tragic accidents that would occur. Knowledge is everything and driving is not something you want to be confused about.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the amount of accidents caused every year due to driving are requirements of drivers ed and creating laws to stop distracted driving. As mentioned before I believe drivers ed should become a requirement for teens before driving as taking the course will do nothing but help them in understanding the importance of safety and how to drive on the road. Additionally, I believe there should be stricter laws in order to prevent distracted driving, distracted driving meaning texting, eating, etc, causes for more than half of all driving related accidents in people of all ages. Therefore the creation of new laws such as no cellphone or eating allowed should be made and enforced thoroughly. Though it may sound a bit harsh these are some of the main causes of car accidents so if there is any way we are going to reduce the amount of deaths here must begin with tackling the biggest issue.

At the end of the day, people are going to do what they want. However, we can counter that beginning with these steps and doing all that we can to make drivers aware and cautious. Whether on the road as a driver or a passenger it is important to keep a cautious eye and be responsible.