Driver’s Education and Road Safety

On December 18, 2020, I passed my driver’s test to obtain my license with a score of 98 on my first attempt. Rhode’s Driving School, the program I completed my driver’s education course through as well as practice hours and license testing. In almost a year as a brand new driver, I have yet to get in an accident. The program put an intense emphasis on distracted and influenced driving, and I credit my safety as a driver to these circumstances. I know that getting behind the wheel can be an easy way to take lives from this Earth. But I believe that the importance of driver’s education in reducing the amount of lives lost on our roads is insurmountable, and there are numerous steps we can take to save the lives of drivers.

Driver’s education courses heavily teach that distracted driving and driving under the influence of factors such as drugs or alcohol are not only reckless, but costly as well as against the law. In today’s world, cell phones are the biggest cause of distracted driving. Actions included but not limited to calling, texting, and playing music while operating a motor vehicle has proven to be possibly fatal for many drivers over the years. And not only being distracted, but driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol has also become prominent in the world of worries when driving. The courses new drivers take are vital to express the dangers of distracted and influenced driving. If I had not been taught over 32 hours the dangers and life changing, or even ending, risks that seem harmless but could be extremely threatening before I began my new role as a legal driver, I would not be as careful on roads and highways as I am today. There have been many times that distracted driving or influenced driving could have caused me to take the lies of innocent people, or my own. However, I will forever be grateful for the fact that driver’s education classes reduce the number of roadway fatalities with their teachings.

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Aside from driver’s ed, there are other steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving. Besides minimizing distractions and avoiding the use of products like drugs and alcohol when getting behind the wheel, being familiar with different types of roads and understanding how they operate can reduce the amount of fatal accidents associated with driving. If the person operating the vehicle is unfamiliar with the area they are driving in, they may make accidental mistakes that could lead to accidents. However, doing quick research before getting behind the wheel, for example on a map or the internet, can help to reduce accidents on the roads. Another step we can take is to always be patient and drive defensively opposed to aggressively on the roads. I genuinely cannot count the amount of times I have almost wrecked or seen wrecks due to impatient or aggressive drivers. The most common excuse for reckless driving is running late, but the lives at stake are far more important than being on time to your appointment. Drivers across the world will be incredibly safer if we can learn, appreciate, and demonstrate the virtue of patience when driving as well as using our defensive driving skills on the roadways. These are steps we can take now in order to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving and keep people safer behind the wheel.

Now, of course, it is the harsh and sad reality that is driving that wrecks are bound to happen. I myself have been involved in a car accident. On November 22, 2019, I was in a car with one of my mother’s close friends and her son. It was around 9 o’clock at night, meaning it was already dark outside. We were on a rural highway when a monster of a male deer ran out in front of us and totaled the car. My door was jammed as the car rolled towards a fence, but eventually I escaped from the deteriorating vehicle. Thankfully, none of us in the car were injured, but the car itself was totaled and had to be replaced. If the driver had not been so focused on our conversations along with the music playing from the radio system and had been driving slightly below the speed limit because of the limited visibility we were experiencing that night, we may have been able to avoid the animal and save the vehicle. That traumatic and life changing experience has caused me to be extremely conscious of my safety when driving, as well as become motivated to explain to others the importance of driving with care.

I personally can take steps to become a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road. The first thing I can do is know my limits. If I am uncomfortable on certain roads, I can find different routes that are easier for me to drive. And if there are certain times of day or weather conditions that when I drive in I feel I may be putting myself and others at risk, I can avoid driving and find an alternative like carpooling, getting an Uber, or taking a bus. And if others are being dangerous and putting themselves at risk, I can try to help educate them on road safety and its importance, as well as helping them decide their limits to keep them and everyone else safe.

Driver’s education and road safety go hand in hand. There are many ways we can all stay safe on roadways, so long as we understand its importance and the lives we are trying to protect.