The Importance of Safe Driving Today

In an industrialized world, driving has become more necessary, and not to mention more prominent, than ever. As new drivers enter the road, the likelihood of unsafe driving and collisions grow. With drivers ed programs, however, unsafe driving, as well as the potential for a loss of life, can be reduced and avoided, as these programs teach not only the fundamentals of driving, but how to respond to a situation that could escalate to a collision, as well as informing of the dangers of unsafe driving, and the consequences that unsafe driving yields.

There are steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths relating to driving, the biggest step being informing drivers. If every driver took a drivers education course, the likelihood of deaths relating to driving would decrease significantly. In these courses, there are videos that show real life examples of consequences due to unsafe drivers such as the death of a minor who was the victim of a drunk driver. These videos establish a feeling of pathos, which in turn allows drivers to take a second thought to ensure what they might do while driving is safe. By providing and implementing videos and stories like this, drivers will be promoted to take the necessary precautions to avoid a life changing experience while driving.

On the way home from work, I was at a four way stop light, my car at a complete stop, when I saw a truck on the opposite side of me approaching the light to stop. After seeing that this driver was slowing down and after ensuring that I had the right of way, I began to turn left to continue on my way home, when I was nearly involved in a side collision via the truck driver. Had I not monitored my car and the angle at which I was turning while completing the turn, the situation could have played out differently, both from a property standpoint and a physical standpoint. Though my first instinct was to blame the other driver, I saw this experience as a learning point, and remembered my drivers education course, which explained that you can’t control other drivers’ actions, only your own, which you can use to prevent collisions.

All drivers, including myself, can benefit from taking every experience as a learning opportunity and can thus become better drivers. When I took my drivers test to get my license, I failed twice. While I was upset with myself, I took both tests as learning opportunities, more prominently the second time, when I was speeding in a school zone I believed to be inactive. Though the school zone wasn’t near the actual school, I came to realize that it wasn’t safe to assume things while driving, as there are many variables. I also came to realize that it was important to be mindful of my surroundings. No driver is perfect, but through the informing of drivers and learning from mistakes, drivers can be better equipped to deal with the potential hazards and dangers of the road.