Behind the Wheel

Behind the Wheel 

It is crucial, and more beneficial for students to participate in an organized driver education program. Most people know the basics and know how important it is to follow protocol when it comes to wearing your seatbelt, maintaining your vehicle, and following the speed limit. However, driver education programs teach you much more than just the basics. Some of the teachings are using your blinker properly, stopping at stop signs at the appropriate time, knowing all the speed limits in specific environments such as school zones or alley ways,  knowing when to reduce your vehicle’s speed to prevent a collision, reducing your speed in extreme weather conditions, and to not put the keys in the ignition before putting on your seatbelt. There are several other teachings that I personally have experienced in an in-person driver education class, but the main points that need to be known have all been elucidated above. According to The University of Nebraska, “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident.” 

To prevent the number of deaths from driving, more new drivers need to prioritize safety precautions that can only be taught to the full potential within driver education classes. It is also important to not only obey and understand all the traffic rules, but to also be alert about distinct motives while driving. For instance, one should never have their phone in hand while driving. Distractions lead to many accidents, according to statistical data “More than 3,166 deaths in the United States are a result of Texting and Driving” (Best online Traffic School). Even if you are trying to change a song, or reply to an important message, you need to prioritize driving first. When you are at your desired destination or parked somewhere with the keys out of the ignition, you can do what you need to do. Nothing is more important than your safety, and other people’s safety while driving. To be a safer driver, you must understand the importance of keeping your distance from cars, avoiding distractions, and learning how to control the car properly. 

One of my family members, my sister, got in a car accident herself. My sister was in a right turn lane with one car in front of her. The light was red; however, you can make a right turn on red when it is safe to do so. The car in front of her started to drive up to begin a turn however they slammed their break because someone was making a U-turn. My sister was too close to the car in front of her, and she ended up hitting them in the rear end of their car. The problem here is that my sister did not allow for enough space to slow down between her and the car in front of her. My sister never took driver safety courses, which is why she was involved with this accident. 

Work Cited

“Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets.” University of Nebraska, 13 Aug. 2015, newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver’s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets.