The Importance of Driving

The Importance of Driving

Eliza Negrete

When learning how to drive the one thing repeated from my experience is that driving is a privilege, not a right. The reason why everybody needs to be properly educated on driving before they touch the wheel is so they get a general understanding of what to expect. Driver education is a necessity to learn how a vehicle works in the first place and to know all the rules of the road. When one doesn’t know the rules of the road many complications can occur that is why it’s not suggested to practice driving off the bat with no education. By getting your driver’s education before heading onto the road, it will help reduce the number of accidents and deaths because of your previous earned knowledge. If we truly want to reduce the amount of car accidents and deaths on the road it is your responsibility to educate yourself and seek lessons from an instructor. By seeing an instructor they can help you even more in teaching you what to expect when driving and how to be prepared for unexpected events. One thing to note is that anything can happen when your driving so it’s important to always stay focused on your surroundings. From my own experience of being a passenger, I have seen about two car accidents both were minor but still eventful. The first time my mother was driving and we got hit from behind by another car thankfully it was quickly resolved and nobody was injured. The other was caused by my mother where she accidentally didn’t see a motorcyclist behind a large van and ended up crashing into them. Once again none of these accidents resulted in injuries but it can still happen to anyone and may even result in worse accidents. Being cautious of your surroundings should be taken very seriously because that is how most accidents happen. To be a better and safer driver you must be completely aware of yourself. For example, you should always be sober before driving, and if you are not ask a friend or family who hasn’t been driving to take you home and simply call a taxi. If you are not in the right headspace and are stressed or angry maybe it’s not best for you to be driving as well. Emotions can be distracting and can possibly put your life and others’ lives at risk if you’re not completely focusing on the road. You must also never use your phone when driving. Make sure to put your phone out of reach or on silent put away in a compartment for your safety. A majority of car accidents are caused by drunk driving and the use of technology so please be safe and mindful of these things. As I had said before driving is a privilege, not a right and the safety of others depends on you.