In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

Across the country, thousands of people die a year from highway fatalities. Now there can be many reasons that drivers get into accidents, including substance abuse, being distracted, or weather pushing them off the road. In all those cases, people need to be aware of how to reduce and inevitably fix those dilemmas to keep everyone safer on the road. Education of drivers can be a tremendous support in that reduction, giving drivers information on how to weather rainstorms or if they drive onto the ice. I remember learning in my driver’s education class when I was first getting my license what to do to avoid skidding of the road when I hydroplane or how I should not use cruise control when the road is wet. By informing people on how to handle situations, it helps prepare them for the real thing; I have always thought about that kind of information if I am driving in less than ideal circumstances. Education for people about substance and drug abuse is also an excellent thing for people to learn more about. Having people that have been arrested with DUI’s attend a reeducation program regarding substance abuse would be a great thing to enforce. This would allow the person to soberly see what their actions did or could have cost others. I can recall having to walk in a straight line and see with “drunk goggles” in my driver’s class, and it really put into perspective just how much alcohol alone can impair one’s judgment. Having people attend reeducation classes every so many years would be beneficial to have safe drivers on the road. I can recall talking to my parents about some of the things that I had learned in my driver’s education class and them saying that a law was not real. In actuality, it had just been passed since they had attended driver’s school themselves, and they did not know it existed.

I have never been in an accident, but I have seen my fair share of people driving irresponsibly. I always do my best to drive safely: leave my phone in the backseat, go the speed limit, check blind spots, stop at stop signs. All of those traits that I try to go by are things that I have seen my friends do many times in my life. I have always been the driver that most people wanted to get in the car with because they know they are far less likely to die or get hurt in my vehicle. I had one friend that has gotten arrested for doing donuts in a Walmart parking lot and going 85 mph in a 45mph speed zone. I always try to encourage my friends not to speed or get on their phones while they drive. If I am in the passenger seat with a friend, I will generally call them out if they are speeding and ask that they slow down. If I see a friend reach for their phone, I will try to beat them to grab it and ask what they wanted to do with it. It is never worth it in my book to switch a song or send a message while driving.