In the Driver’s Seat

On the night of May 11, 2018, the news had published an article stating there was a police chase that caused two vehicular accidents reporting a total of seven people to the hospital. “The suspect sped through the intersection of Ella Blvd. and Gears Road and struck a vehicle. The impact of the crash caused the citizen’s vehicle to crash into other vehicles. The suspect continued to flee from the officer and caused a head on collision with a vehicle that had five people inside.” (KHOU 11 news). Included amongst those seven people were two of my friends and I. There is no verbal description for the trauma this accident caused, and it has altered my point of view of people in the driver’s seat. At that moment, when the suspect struck our vehicle, I believed it was the end for me. I began to cough up blood and the impact of my head colliding with the glove compartment that was between the driver’s and passenger’s seat rendered me unconscious for several seconds. Driver’s education is critical as driving not only puts the driver, but everyone in surrounding areas at a high risk and without it, driving could become more chaotic than it already is.

The importance of driver’s education is to provide skill and knowledge that is needed to protect the pedestrians and neighboring driver’s in surrounding areas. Driving awareness can reduce the amount of fatal accidents by allowing drivers to register and acknowledge what is happening around them. The average 34,000 people that lose their life due to driving can be significantly reduced if everyone took the time to educate themselves about the dangers of driving. The education we receive in post secondary school or high school is of no significance compared to the education of driving, which is a skill that we use in the day to day life as an adult. Driver’s Education is essential to the driving environment because it provides the information and strategies needed to keep drivers safe and focused.

After completing the process of driver’s education, civilians often return to driving comfortably which could lead to easily distracted drivers causing fatal accidents. The first step taken to reduce the number of casualties provoked by driving could simply be applying the knowledge of driver’s education when actually driving. Another step would be to obey traffic laws such as speeding, carefully switching traffic lanes and respecting traffic lights, doing so will alleviate the death rate caused by accidents. In addition, the next step would be taking into consideration the lives of others, whether ingesting alcohol or drugs before getting behind the wheel or recklessly speeding on a highway. Following the moral codes and written laws of driving are necessary to assist the reduction in the amount of lives taken from fatal vehicular incidents.

In order to be a safer and better driver, I intend to maintain focus while always being alert. These are the mental steps that many drivers fail to recognize they need to be able to manage while driving. One of the main factors that cause car accidents are distractions. I hope to do my best to avoid them to improve my driving performance and attempt to keep the surrounding civilians safe. With driving, you cannot get comfortable because when the moment of relaxation takes over, it’s harder to register a reaction quickly and effectively. Therefore, the next step would be to prevent myself from becoming comfortable with driving because it is something that is unpredictable. I intend to implement the knowledge that I can retain from driver’s education, that being the first physical steps to being a safer driver. Ensuring that I am always abiding by the traffic laws. In order to ensure that others are also avoiding driving recklessly, I can assertively inform them of the consequences that accompany bad driving habits and advise them of more effective ways to manage being in the driver’s seat. Allowing people to be influenced by my personal experience can also have an effect on how they react to being behind the wheel.

When hearing a story of something as tragic as a car accident it gives the receiver of the message a hint of responsibility or guilt when driving. Driving is often underestimated for its consequences and the responsibility that stems from driving. Driver’s education provides us with the breakdown of safely driving; there is no doubt that this knowledge should be treated as valuable treasure to our minds and our world. Our lives are irreplaceable and we should not suffer the loss of a loved one nor have to endure the pain caused from someone who was not well informed of the risks that come with driving. There are many things to be afraid of in this world, and my biggest fear is someone who is reckless and nonetheless, in the driver’s seat.