Driving Should Always be Safe

While to many young and new drivers, drivers education is boring and just another step to climb in the mountain that is getting their license. But drivers education is necessary to make new drivers aware of what is happening on the roads. Anything can go wrong in a split second on the road, and drivers education is there to prepare students for as many possibilities as possible. Drivers education shows the dangers of driving while distracted and driving while inebriated. These are the two most common ways accidents happen for young and new drivers. Drivers education also gives tips on how to navigate driving in harsh and dangerous weather, which can happen at any time. The structures and critical information that drivers education gives new drivers a sense of what can happen when they are on the road, even if at the time, the students find the information repetitive, the information will help them when they most need it.

The most common deaths related to driving is driving while distracted and driving while inebriated. While there are punishments for these, they do not always get the point across, and a lot of the time, young drivers never get caught for their reckless driving. There needs to be proactive punishment for when people get caught driving distracted or inebriated. Classes should be mandatory to get a license back after driving recklessly. The classes need to focus on how while you think it might not be you, it always can be. People should also recognize that if you cannot get home safe at that moment, you should wait it out until you can. Even if you were lucky once does not mean that you will be lucky every time. People should also be comfortable setting boundaries with friends so no one is distracted while driving and everyone gets to their definition safely.

The scariest moment that I have experienced in a car happened right after a Minnesota winter. There was some sneaky black ice, and my mother and I spun out, could not correct, and then hit a tree, and the airbags deployed and the car was totaled. There was really no way to fix what happened in that situation because sometimes that is what happens with ice and cars, but it was a very scary experience for everyone involved. There was also an accident when I was a child where my mother and I got rear-ended by someone who was distracted on their phone. Luckily there was no damage to anyone but means that distracted driving has been a problem for years and years now.

The steps that I can take to be a better driver and help others be better drivers is to make sure that I have boundaries when it comes to safe driving. Have no distractions in the car, and always speak up if I am being distracted. Then, I should also call out my friends when they are being distracted or reckless. While it may not be fun, education and getting home safe is way more important.