Knowledge & Application: The Keys to Safe Driving

Knowledge & Application: The Keys to Safe Driving

My driver’s education class provided me with a wealth of knowledge on the techniques and mechanics of driving and how to drive safely.  Unfortunately, this may be the only time drivers read their driver’s education booklet.  So there are a large number of drivers who have developed negative driving habits over the years. These negative habits establish a false sense of security while driving.  In many cases, as drivers become comfortable, they may engage in distracting activities from driving safely; which could lead to accidents and deaths.

Being a safe driver is a choice, just like we change the batteries in our smoke detectors twice a year; drivers should commit to reviewing the latest driving training booklet once a year to ensure they are using correct driving skills and see what’s new.

Before one drive’s: 

• Considerably over the speed limit

• Run a stop sign

• Change lanes without using a signal

• Read or reply to a text message while driving

Think about the number of people that could be put in danger due to reckless driving habits. Imagine having a teenager in the car when he/she is witnessing the disregard of the driving rules.  Is this the type of modeling one would want to display?   

Reducing the number of auto-related accidents and deaths require drivers to have consistent reeducation, applying correct driving skills’, and displaying patience with each other on the road. Another critical factor, drivers engage in fewer distractions to help them be safer offensive and defensive drivers.

Being a safe driver requires preparation:

• Ensure the car is in good working condition; through routine maintenance

• Having a driver plan to get to the right destination

• Knowing and applying the rules of the road

The first things my mom told me to do when I get into a car is to lock the doors, start the car, check to see if I need gas, and listen for any funny noises or alarms. I remember clearly a time when I was learning to drive, recording my driving hours, and my dad asked me if I wanted to drive to my grandma’s house; I said yes. We got in the car, I started the car and sat there waiting and my dad did the same. I realized I had no idea how to get to my grandma’s house, although I’ve gone there hundreds of times. This was an awakening for me, a lesson in paying attention to how to get to my destination instead of being connected to social media as a passenger. 

My first accident experience occurred with my dad while he was driving out of the parking lot after leaving the supermarket.  As we were driving, my dad was telling me how important it is to be extremely cautious in parking lots due to cars pulling out of spaces, wayward carts, and drivers going around other cars when traveling up and down lanes.  While stopped and waiting to exit, we watched in amazement as a car speeding across the parking lot lanes, instead of driving in a lane, slammed into the front passenger side of our car, where I was setting. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the car approached and hit our car. I was fortunate not to be hurt. My dad took advantage of this teachable moment, first checking to see if I was okay, and then the lady who ran into us.

My dad wrote down the driver’s license information, took pictures of the cars, her tag number, and insurance information.  She didn’t wait for the police to come because she had to pick up her daughter.  She jumped back into her car and drove across the lanes again at a high rate of speed as she was doing before the accident. My father and I went directly to the police station and filed an accident report.  I experienced firsthand the impact of poor driving and its results, which reinforces my key points about knowing and applying the driving rules, slowing down, and drivers learning to display patience with other drivers.