In The Driver’s Seat

In The Driver’s Seat

Driving carefully is often overlooked, but crucial to saving lives. I have been driving alone, with my license since I was 16 years old. That gives me just a year and a half of driving experience, without a guardian in the car. This is honestly not much time, and I would still consider myself a fairly new driver. I have not been in an accident while behind the wheel and I hope to never be in that position. Although, I do know it is bound to happen because of other factors other than my personal driving. The precautions to driving safely should still be taken seriously because the consequences are detrimental.

When I was around 13 years old my older sister got into a car accident with both my younger sister and me. It was a very scary moment for all of us because we had never been in a car accident before. Everyone involved ended up being fine and without injuries besides a few bruises. But, I do remember being very scared in the moment and thinking of the possible consequences that could have happened. This experience really put the importance of driving safely into a new perspective for me, because of how easily things could have turned out so much worse.

Nearly 1.35 million people die tragically each year from car accidents. This is a very significant number of people and a sad thing to hear. Driver education is such an important factor to reducing this number, because it could save so many lives. If people are properly educated on the rules of the road and know how to drive safely under all circumstances, so many lives could be saved. Anyone who is going to be on the roads and behind the wheel should be required to take the proper instruction and preparation in advance. To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, everyone should not only be educated, but also drive safely no matter what. Regardless of being late or any other circumstances, safety should be the biggest concern. If everyone is alert and prepared for something to go wrong, an accident could easily be prevented.

I have previously had experiences with irresponsible drivers in the past and accidents. The accident I previously mentioned had a great impact on me, but I have also had my mom get into multiple accidents without me present. They impacted me greatly and made me scared to have her out driving late. Now that I know the rules of the road, I am much more aware when anyone else is driving and try to make sure the person behind the wheel is driving responsibly. To be a better driver and safer in general, I can definitely be more alert while driving and stay educated. I am currently pretty self aware and educated, but I could put even more effort into being safe to protect not only myself, but others around me.