In the Driver’s Seat

Getting behind the wheel for the very first time is the most exhilarating moment of just about everyone’s teenage years. However, what most of us tend to forget especially after we have been behind the wheel for a while, is that driving can become hazardous in just a matter of seconds. Driver’s education is a very important course that we all have to take in order to get a driver’s license. This course teaches new drivers the do’s and don’ts of driving. Taking driver’s education plays a huge role in reducing the number of driving-related deaths. Becoming an educated driver allows for people to learn the habits of a safe driver. Driver’s education allows younger and newer drivers to understand that driving can be fun and exciting, but it also comes with responsibility.

A step that could be taken to reduce the number of driving-related deaths would be requiring licensed drivers to take a refresher course of driver’s education when it is time to renew their license. This requirement would allow seasoned driver’s to keep up with any new driving laws that have been passed since they first obtained their driver’s license. New laws are always being developed, so it would be best if everyone knows them as opposed to just the newer/younger drivers who are fresh out of driver’s education. Just think about it, what good is it for a 16 year old who just got their license to know all the rules of the road when there are other, more-experienced driver’s who don’t even know all the same rules? At the end of the day we all share the road, therefore we should all be held to the same standard to keep up with and learn the laws of driving. If this step is put into action, I believe that the number of driving-related deaths can be reduced.

I have been in a car accident, just this past July actually. I was coming home at around 3 in the morning from work. I was about 10-15 minutes away from home when I totaled my car. Absolute scariest moment of my entire life! Thankfully I wasn’t seriously injured, but the mental toll that I was left with is enough. All I remember was that it was extremely dark in that specific area of the highway, there was a pick up truck in front of me that swerved to avoid hitting a big orange construction cone and when I swerved to avoid hitting the truck and the cone I ended up ramming into the concrete barrier. The next thing I knew, the force of the impact pushed my car into the far lanes of incoming traffic and I couldn’t see a thing past the airbags. That very moment changed everything for me, I didn’t even want to be in a car let alone drive one. Still to this day I have PTSD from that night, sometimes it’s so bad that my hands will start shaking uncontrollably and my heart feels as though it will jump out of my chest. You always drive by car accidents on the highway, but you never realize the full effects of them until you have been in one yourself. I can definitely say that the accident changed the way that I drive today.

The number one step that I, as well as many other drivers, can take to be a better and safer driver would be to stop using my cellphone while driving. I catch myself texting or talking on the phone while driving more often than I should. Lately I have been taking advantage of the Do Not Disturb feature on my phone so that I am not distracted by notifications and calls while I am driving. Since I started using this feature I have noticed that I am more aware of my surroundings and able to react quicker to potential road hazards. Limiting the distraction of using my phone also helps others become safer on the road. Another step I can take would be to not speed. Speeding is not only dangerous for others but it is also dangerous for me. When speeding, you have less time to react to road hazards as well as other cars around you and the results of an accident caused by speeding could be fatal. I’m not saying I drive like a Nascar driver on the highway or anything, but I have witnessed people speeding to that degree and it is scary. Cell phone use and speeding are definitely a deadly duo for the safety of drivers. One of the main things to remember about driving is that the safety of others is also in your hands.