The Driver’s Seat

THE DRIVER’S SEAT

Road safety starts with proper driver’s education. Before passing a driver’s test, everyone has to learns how to drive; they understand the regulations of the road, how to operate a vehicle, what the signs indicate, and how to navigate in a variety of situations, including heavy traffic and severe weather. Some driving schools will also teach defensive driving skills, which is based on three ideas: visibility, space and communication As a result, most people form the majority of their driving behaviors at a young age. It is then crucial that one of the most basic and essential elements we are taught on the road is safety. When driving a car, one might be either an excellent or a bad driver, with no in-between. The front page of daily newspapers is increasingly dominated by road accidents that claim the lives of thousands of people on a yearly basis. That is why, whether a motorist is taught by their parents or by a professional driving instructor, receiving a high-quality driver’s education is critical.

Salmon et. al. (2014) presents the findings from an on-road study to examine driver, motorcyclist and cyclist situational awareness in various road environments. The findings suggest that, the actual content of situation awareness in terms of road user schemata, is significantly different. The findings are used to propose preemptive solution to enhance the compatibility of situation awareness among road users. The findings confirm that situation awareness is different among road users. Although only small differences were found in the structure of situation awareness between drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists, the content of situation awareness was shown to differ considerably in terms of genotype and phenotype schemata. Significant differences were also found in the organization and component of situational awareness across the different road environments studied. The findings suggest then that situational awareness is greatly influenced by schemata, mode or transport and the nature of the road environment and that these three factors combined creates differences in situational awareness between distinct road users. The implication of this is that there are various ways in which compatibility between road users can be enhanced, including manipulation of schemata through experience, training and education as wellas the use of targeted road design interventions.

Individuals who lack the proper understanding of, among other things, adhering to posted speed limits, how to read road signs, and driving in traffic might have fatal accidents while driving on the road. In addition, distracted driving, the use of cellphones while driving, and the use of illicit drugs may all be lethal. As a result, driver education is critical for preventing major automobile accidents and future road deaths. In reality, wearing a seat belt makes the driving experience safer. Adhering to the posted speed limit on the road is one of the issues covered with drivers’ education programs in the hopes of producing roadworthy drivers. Furthermore, driving education teaches a person how to make a correct stop at a given distance, use blinkers while making a right or left turn, adhere to a correct speed limit on the road in specified highway regions, and park appropriately in a parking lot. There are other things to consider while contemplating driving instruction for individuals who want to learn how to drive safely on the road and avoid future fatal vehicle accidents. This includes training drivers on how to deescalate or avoid road rage incidents that may result in accidents or put other drivers in harm’s way and learning defensive driving as mentioned earlier.

Perhaps one can say that one of the most essential elements of drivers’ education is that it helps eradicate confusion on the road, thus avoiding situations that may cause harm to self and other motorists. Of course, not everyone will follow the rules of the road or engage appropriately with other drivers on the road, but the more people are educated on road safety, its importance, and how it can help prevent accidents and deaths, the safer the roads will become. This would allow for more people on the road that are equipped with the appropriate skills and knowledge to collisions, even when faced with bad drivers. For example, an educated driver on road safety can react calmly and use the proper signals, speed reductions, and movements when a nearby driver is driving recklessly. The driver, in this instance, is able to prevent a situation that could have resulted in an accident that not only could have put the two vehicles in danger but nearby vehicles as well.

Personally, I have never been in a collision where I was visibly injured but accidents do have life time consequences at times. During my first accident I was rear ended by a car full of teenagers while I was stopped at a stop light. I like to be alert while driving so I am always checking my mirrors even when the vehicle isn’t in motion. It was not a pleasant experience. I saw the vehicle come up behind my and I notice they were not reducing their speed so all I could do was brace for impact. As mention earlier I did not suffer immediately but a few months later I start experiencing back aches, so it seems like this accident permanently aggravated a childhood physical trauma that was not an issue before. I have been suffering through that for almost 12 years. At times there are definitely financial repercussions that occur for individuals involved in accidents. My only hopes is that the distracted driver laws are enforced fully now that we have identified distracted driving as an issue we are facing.

In addition to my own safety practices and as someone who is invested in seeing the number of road accidents and deaths decline, I am always eager to find and post road safety campaign adverts as well as news articles on such topics through my social media. By doing this, I am able to ensure that not only my closest friends and family are exposed to this information but the individuals in my online communities as well. The more informed we all are, the safer our roads. My niece is a new driver and as a result I take her on the road and share the techniques I have learnt when I went to driving school and also sharing with her the experience I have gathered since then. This is allowing her to become a more confident and present driver.

Reference

Salmon, P. M., Lenne, M. G., Walker, G. H., Stanton, N. A., & Filtness, A. (2014). Exploring

schema-driven differences in situation awareness between road users: an on-road

study of driver, cyclist and motorcyclist situation awareness. Ergonomics, 57 (2), 191–209. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2013.867077