Importance of Safe Driving

Importance of Safe Driving

It was 2017; my gut was wrenching and my nerves were through the roof the as I sat down on the driver’s seat and heard my mom say, “today we’re going to be driving on the freeway.” Hearing the word freeway made my mind go blank, all I could think about was fear. Learning how to drive was an exciting yet scary experience and the more I drove, the more I mastered it. Knowing how to be a safe driver means developing good driving habits, and being aware of your surroundings.

Driver education has shown to reduce the number of accidents and traffic violations amateur drivers take part in. If you don’t take the course, you are 75% more likely to receive a traffic violation, 24% more likely to get into a serious car crash, and 16% more likely to get into an accident. Driver education teaches students the rules of the road, how to safely operate a car at night, on busy streets, and other dangerous circumstances ahead of time as opposed to learning as you go. Although driving seems like an easy task, not knowing the meaning of certain signs while you’re driving can have serious consequences. Driver education teaches all signs and what precautions to take, you also learn how to anticipate others actions and respond. The concepts covered in this class prevent thousands of lives being taken on the road.

After grasping how to drive and practicing you’ll find yourself confident about driving, but just because you’re obeying the law doesn’t mean other drivers are. In order to drive safely the following driving habits should be developed: always adjust your mirrors and seat, wear a seat belt, rid yourself of distractions and focus on the road ahead, follow traffic signs, and don’t drive under the influence. These all seem straightforward, but the number of drivers that don’t abide to these rules can be overwhelming. Temptation is hard to fight, especially when a phone goes off, so it’s best to put your phone on airplane mode until you reach your destination. You’ll also want to be wary of your surroundings, whether it be pedestrians or other vehicles.

Luckily, I have never been involved in a car accident, but a few months ago my family’s life changed forever. We were watching a movie when my aunt called and told us that my cousin was involved in a life-threatening car accident. He was taking a left turn when someone else in a stolen vehicle ran a red light and hit their car. There were drugs found in the stolen auto so it’s assumed the driver was high. Unfortunately, my cousin was in critical condition and after hours of surgery the doctor informed us that he was in a coma. He later died from his injuries. Although I haven’t witnessed family members drive irresponsibly, we have suffered the consequences of someone else driving recklessly and now I make sure to look every direction when I’m crossing an intersection.

Safe driving is a skill that improves with practice. In order to be a better driver, I reflect on situations I could’ve handled better and the next time I encounter the same situation I respond in a better way. Another way I could improve my driving would be to always react in a calm manner, road rage is a big deal and people are quick to take offense on the road, but remaining calm and focusing on your own safety is important. Spreading awareness about deaths as a result of driving can help others become safer on the road. Everyone is quick to think “that’ll never happen to me” until it does. It’s better to be cautious and take precautions while driving to prevent yourself from becoming a statistic.