Name: Tanner Benson
From: Hallsville, Texas
Votes: 0
Driving Distracted
Growing up in the country driving starts at a pretty young age. This could be driving an ATV, a tractor, or a lawnmower. You learn at a young age to understand and respect your equipment and the safety rules. As a teenager the thought of driving a car or truck is just the next natural step. As with the other equipment you have to understand and respect the vehicle and all safety rules. Drivers ed is the most important part of this process. Without drivers ed the streets would be full of simple trial and fail attempts, and often those fails can be life changing or even fatal. Drivers ed is the foundation a new driver requires to understand all aspects of driving. Not just the ability to sit in a vehicle and maneuver it down the road, but the necessary skills to ensure the safety of all drivers. As an individual you can only be responsible for yourself and your actions, but as a driver you must be mindful of all other drivers and distractions. Driver distraction contributes to a good percentage of motor vehicle accidents and therefore contributes to a number of lives lost related to driving. A simple step to decreasing the number of motor vehicle accidents would be to stop distracted driving. This is simple. As a driver you resist the temptation of the cell phone, you pull over to eat that drive through food, minimize the noise from the radio, and make clear to passengers distraction is not allowed. I know I said these were simple, some are and are obvious. Others, for instance, passengers can be a bit more tricky. You can only control yourself and your actions, and although it may decrease your popularity, you can make decisions of safety if your passengers can not. I have been lucky, growing up I have only once witnessed any kind of motor vehicle accident that involved my family and that was when a deer jumped out in front of our vehicle. Luckily no one was hurt, but that is one of those things that a driver can be aware of, but never really control. I believe that is why things that are in a driver’s control must be addressed with a conscious of safety. Decreasing distractions and building a good base with drivers ed and steps that can be taken to help all of us be safer on the road.
