The Necessity of Defensive Driving

The Necessity of Defensive Driving

Driving is an incredibly fun activity and an important skill for young adults to learn. It supplies many benefits for an individual for the present and beyond, such as a means of traveling to school or work. However, one must ensure that they are properly educated about how to drive safely before beginning. There are several different rules involved with driving that can appear complicated for a new driver. It can be especially confusing when the rules vary from state-to-state. For instance, Michigan, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska allow a left turn on a red light from a two-lane road if the destination lane is a one-way road. However, Florida only allows such a turn if the driver’s current lane is also one-way. If an uneducated driver knows about this allowance but does not know about Florida’s specific requirements to complete this maneuver, the driver can potentially be a hazard to others on the road and cause an accident. This is one of many instances where proper education of driving rules and what needs to be done on the road can help save lives.

About 41,000 people die yearly in traffic accidents, with 38% of the fatalities being directly attributed to alcohol. This number could be significantly reduced by taking the first step to implement mandatory and more in-depth driver education programs into schools. Although there is a Driver’s Education course available in my school, it is only offered as an optional semester-long class. Driving is becoming more prevalent than ever before in our world; it would logically follow that they should be required to take a course that would inform them of the mechanics involved for driving. This way, young adults can recognize irresponsible driving behavior and be able to make more informed decisions to combat it. For instance, if two friends were eating out for dinner and one of them decided to drink alcohol, the sober individual would recognize that circumstance and recall the potential consequences of drunk driving as a result of taking the Driver’s Education course. They could then offer to drive home or call for someone to pick the two of them up, which serves to keep both themselves and others on the road safe. Making use of these alternative methods of transportation rather than taking the risk of driving home would help to bring down the number of traffic collision deaths.

While I have not personally been in a car accident, I have been in the vehicle when my family member was driving irresponsibly. A friend of mine was taking me to school one morning and we were sitting at a red light in the left lane. We needed to be in the left turn lane but there was a truck in front of us that, due to intending to go straight, was blocking the entrance to the turn lane. My friend was becoming impatient and decided to drive over the edge of the shoulder of the road, so that he was just off the road enough to make his way into the lane. What happened next is something that I still cannot forget, because of how loud the sound was from the passenger seat. When my friend was halfway into the left lane, I saw his right side mirror hit the left side mirror of the truck in front of us, creating a loud smacking sound that sent us both into silence. Fortunately, neither mirror was broken but it was still an unnecessarily risky maneuver. Even though we were both in a rush to get to school, it would have been safer just to wait for the light to change and then merge into the turn lane. After that happened, my friend never tried such a lane merge again and now waits for an open opportunity to make his way into the lane he needs to be in.

The most important first step I can take to help myself and others become better drivers on the road is to learn and apply the various elements of defensive driving. Anyone can make a mistake while driving at any point in time; therefore, it is incredibly important to know how to respond to those situations. One common and important practice is to leave a three-second gap between myself and the car in front of me. By leaving this space between every single vehicle on the road, it enables drivers to “perceive and react to hazards” (Travelers.com) in a more timely manner and avoid collisions in the first place. Another important strategy is in relation to larger vehicles, such as semi-trucks. Semi-trucks have blind spots behind them, on their sides, and in front of them, which can become an issue when a vehicle is driving alongside them and the truck driver is unaware that they are there (FMCSA.gov). A driver who is knowledgeable about defensive driving would know that the best strategy to stay out of these areas would be to either accelerate or slow down to place themselves ahead or behind the truck’s blind spots. These methods of defense driving become even more important when dealing with drivers that are road raging and creating a hazard on the roadways. Giving them space and merging into a different lane to stay away from them would significantly reduce the chances that myself and other passengers are injured due to an aggressive driver. After helping others gain sufficient knowledge of how defensive driving works, the next logical step would be to both inform friends and family about it and encourage them to spread the word. When more people drive defensively rather than offensively, there would be far fewer instances where a potentially lethal collision could occur.

Sources:

Control, Travelers Risk. “3-Second Rule for Safe Following Distance.” 3-Second Rule for Safe Following Distance | Travelers Insurance, Travelers Indemnity Company, www.travelers.com/resources/auto/travel/3-second-rule-for-safe-following-distance.

“Large Blind Spots.” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, United States Department of Transportation, 8 June 2016, www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/large-blind-spots.