Safe Driving Essay

SAFE DRIVING ESSAY

By: Nicholas Angeleri

I am applying for the Driver Education Initiative Award: In the Driver’s Seat scholarship. I believe I would be an excellent candidate for this award because I am a new driver and definitely apply all the knowledge that I learned in my Driver’s Training classes to my everyday travels.

The importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is insurmountable in my opinion. The safety information that is provided to new drivers during the courses is helpful in both learning how to handle situations while on the road, as well as tactics to be a safe, yet defensive driver while behind the wheel. It is well known that new drivers, especially young ones, can sometimes be easily distracted. It is necessary for ALL drivers to remain focused on the road and their surroundings at all times while behind the wheel. We definitely learned this in my driver’s training classes, and I believe that drilling that into every new driver’s mind is a way of helping to reduce the number of driving fatalities.

There are definitely steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving each year. A few examples are to require all new drivers, regardless of age, to go through a full course of driver’s training, to ensure that all the safety information that is provided in class is given to all new drivers, no matter how old they are. I also think that having safe driving campaigns, especially on the social media platforms that many young people frequent, would be a good way to reinforce safety and good driving tips. It is very important to reach young people where they spend so much of their free time at, and for most young adults, it’s on social media platforms.

I am very fortunate that I have not been involved in any car accidents in my life, nor have any of my family members. However, I have watched some of my peers, especially coming or leaving school, drive very irresponsibly by speeding, taking chances with turning into traffic or just being on their phones when they should be concentrating on the road. My parents both work in law enforcement and have shared stories of horrific traffic accidents, often involving young drivers. Those stories stick with me and serve as a reminder to always stay focused while behind the wheel of a car.

The steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver, as well as help others on the road would be to remain vigilant in always driving in the most safe ways possible: always wearing my seat belt, no matter how short the trip is, always keeping my phone in a safe place while driving and always following the basic rules of the road, with speed limits, using my blinkers, paying attention to the road and other drivers and never taking things for granted…accidents can happen to anyone, so you must always be prepared.