Drivers Education to Save a Life

Driving is a vast responsibility that teenagers and parents should pay close attention to when it comes time to get behind the wheel. In the state of Ohio, a teenager can acquire their temporary permit at fifteen and a half years of age. Soon after, the potential driver can start the drivers education course in class and in car instruction after passing the in class course. Paying attention to the in class course is crucial to help reduce death behind the wheel, awareness is needed for people to be able to understand that death happens on the road, possible experiences can be shared to assist with awareness, and there are steps to become a safer driver.

To begin, paying attention to the in class course is crucial to help reduce death behind the wheel. How often do you glaze over during class at school? Try not to let that happen during the driver education class. The in class course provides valuable information pertaining to driving. Such information includes but is not limited to the types of signs, proper road etiquette, and when to turn on your turn signal. This information is valuable to you to be a safe driver.

Next, awareness is needed for people to be able to understand that death happens on the road. According to Driver Demographics, “Speeding killed 10,111 people in the US in 2016, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of all traffic fatalities. (NHTSA 2018).” People speed because they are too impatient to get to where they need to go while going the speed limit. It is much better to be going the speed limit and get to your destination a little late than to speed and potentially pass away in a car accident.

Continuing on, possible experience can be shared to assist with awareness. According to The Lantern, “Dom Tiberi, sports anchor for 10TV-WBNS, lost his daughter, Maria, in a distracted driving incident in September 2013. The event where Tiberi will deliver Maria’s Message aims to make people more aware about the amount of distractions around them and seeks to minimize them as much as possible. ‘It doesn’t matter what age you are, today’s world is filled with so many distractions, from cellphones to headphones. It is easy for anyone to become distracted and unintentionally put themselves or others in harm’s way,’ Hedman said. ‘We want to remind our campus community to pay attention and share the road to keep their fellow Buckeyes safe.’” This message has spread awareness about distracted driving throughout Ohio for over five years.

Finally, there are steps you can take to becoming a better driver. Putting away the cell phone, paying attention to the road, being aware of your surroundings, and not driving with strong emotions such as anger or hunger. Becoming a safe driver can take time especially if you are not used to following the rules on the road.

Conclusively, driving can kill you and people around you. Becoming a driver as a teen is something the teenager and parent / guardian should closely consider. There are many factors that you should consider when deciding whether or not to drive now or later. These factors could not only change your life but potentially affect the other people on the road.

Works Cited

Scarpinito, Robert. “Tiberi to Talk about Daughter’s Death.” The Lantern, 10 Apr. 2015, www.thelantern.com/2015/04/tiberi-to-talk-about-daughters-death/.