In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

Educating future and current drivers is essential in reducing the amount of driving related deaths. Having driver’s education courses for new drivers is needed because there are so many laws and tips to follow that keep the roads safe when new drivers get their license. There is no way to safely learn this information through a video or behind the wheel, it is important that everyone has to learn from live instruction, for the safety of everyone. It is also important to keep educating current drivers, because everything about our world is ever changing. New roads are being built in new ways and more signs and alerts are designed to help drivers but only if they know what those signs and alerts mean. As new rules are being made and new safety standards come into action, every driver needs to know about them so that everyone stays as safe as possible. Educating all drivers is the first step to reduce the number of driving deaths. The next step is to have every single driver follow the laws in place, namely the laws regarding distracted driving. Now this feat is much easier said than done but it really needs to happen, drivers need to realize that they are not just putting themselves at a high risk of an accident, they are increasing the risk of every other driver on the road with them. More deaths are attributed to distracted drivers each year than the death total of Americans in Afghanistan in the last twenty years combined, if people just decided to drive rather than try to do something on their phone or other task while driving, the roads would be so much safer. As a passenger the most important thing you can do is to help the driver, by not allowing them to do anything other than driving.

I have never been in a car accident and I attribute that to being focused on the road, I turned on the “do not disturb while driving” setting on my phone. By being constantly attentive and not worried about my phone buzzing I am a safer driver. Furthermore, when I am a passenger, I never let the driver mess with their phone, instead I send their texts, change the music, or set up the GPS if the driver needs it. Knowing and following the rules of the road are essential to reduce the number of accidents and the number of driving deaths. The most I or anyone can do to make the roads a safer place is to learn and stay up to date on laws and safety precautions as well as hold every friend, family member, and fellow driver to those laws. Discourage any notion of distracted driving, or reckless driving being cool. But maybe most importantly, set a good example for other drivers. If everyone just focused on the road while they are driving there would be far less accidents and deaths on the road.

Evan Finger