Drive so we don’t die

The importance of getting an education in driving is because it reduces the number of deaths as much as possible. When one is educated in anything, it helps them understand the importance and significance of it. Getting educated in driving will help you be more aware of your surroundings, help you become a smarter, more defensive driver in hopes to avoid an accident, and have more confidence in your driving skills. Driver’s Education courses could also save you money.

There is a newer rule in Missouri where a newly licensed driver can only have one other person under the age of 19 (and not an immediate family member) in the car for the first 6 months of getting their license. This is to avoid as much distraction as possible when gaining confidence on the road. After the first 6 months are completed then they can be allowed up to three passengers under the age of 19 that are not considered immediate family members. All new drivers and their passengers should be aware of the safety needs of such a rule to avoid getting a traffic ticket you can’t afford and to assure more practice is attained with as little distraction from the road as possible.

Number one priority is putting on your seatbelt. The seat belt has reduced the risk of death by 45% and the risk of serious injury by 50%. and make sure all your passengers have theirs fastened as well. In Missouri in 2017, it was recorded that 688 teens were seriously injured or killed in a car crash and 70% of them were unbuckled. Statistics have also mentioned that 100% of impaired drivers killed between the ages of 15-19 were unbuckled. We also learn and know about the importance not to drive while you are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. It is important not to drive while you are intoxicated because alcohol and drugs slows down one’s reaction time, and reflexes. Vision can be badly impacted as well with reduced night and color vision causing blurry or double vision.

Driver’s Education also teaches us the importance of adjusting your mirrors. You must make sure you can see all the things around you. That means cars and objects from the right side, left side and directly behind you. Not having your mirrors adjusted correctly can cause you not to see someone coming in your blind spot, on either side and you might make a bad decision in changing lanes and cause a collision.

This is also why it is necessary to learn about why turn signals are so important. Driver’s education teaches us that they allow you to communicate to the drivers around you and share your intention to turn or change lanes, so they can know how to react. Turn signals also help pedestrians know where you are going so that they don’t choose to cross the street in front of you or walk in your blind spot. Always make sure to follow traffic lights and to stop at stop signs.

Driver’s Education exposes us to how traffic lights and stop signs help to prevent accidents by allowing other drivers the right-of-way and keep crashes from happening as much as possible. There are also other traffic signs that let us know if there is unknown activity involved in driving on a particular road like yielding to oncoming traffic, or a sharp turn is up ahead. Or maybe even a designated deer or school crossing area.

Driver’s Education also teaches us the importance of not using your phone while you are driving. Texting, dialing, talking without a hands free connection or on speaker, or searching on your phone while you are driving distracts you from knowing what is happening around you. Using the phone decreases your concentration on the road by causing a person to take their eyes off the road, and possibly, their hands off the wheel. 2017 statistics show that 5.7% of deaths on the road are due to texting and driving or talking on the phone.

Driver’s Education also helps understand that putting on makeup, doing your hair, or eating while driving are also activities that take your eyes off the road, prevent you from having both hands on the wheel and distracts you from concentrating on the road around you. It’s also important to try not to be very emotional while driving and especially get angry. Road rage is very dangerous, because you do not know how the person you are being angry with will react to your gestures. Getting angry while you are driving can cause you to do things that can put you, and others around you, and whoever is in the car with you, at risk. For example, swerving in and out of traffic, driving at high speeds and possibly being assaulted once you stop the car!

Driver’s Education teaches that tailgating is extremely dangerous and that we should always drive 1-to-2 cars away from the person in front of you. If you are driving too close to a car, it could be difficult to react to the sudden stop to the car in front of you without hitting them, especially when driving at very fast speeds such as on the highway. Always drive the speed limit but also do not determine a safe speed limit on only the speed signs and always think about the conditions.

Most insurance companies offer discounts to newly licensed drivers, with good school grades, and that can prove they have taken a Driver’s Education course and passed it successfully. Saving money, staying safe, and having a good reputation always motivates us to adopt good practices and learn more about how we can benefit from formal learning programs, such as Driver’s Education courses.