The Importance of Informing and Educating Drivers

Every year, countless people are injured, damaged, and killed due to careless, distracted, and dangerous driving as a whole. Thus, driver education is incredibly important in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving. Ultimately, driver education has a variety of roles and significance in preventing injury, death, and problems. Primarily, driver education plays the important role of educating, informing, and preparing individuals to drive and competently navigate the road. In driver education, future drivers should be taught the fundamentals of driving to ensure that they are prepared, qualified, and are knowledgeable about the rules, regulations, and basic principles of operating a vehicle and traveling on the road. For instance, drivers should be instructed and informed about driving basics such as the necessity to stop at a stop sign, follow the posted speed limit, or yield the right away to pedestrians. In addition to educating future drivers on what to do, obey, and perform on the road, driver education also has an important responsibility to ensure future drivers know what not to do while driving and traveling on the road. At the most basic level, this might consist of informing future drivers that it is illegal to run a red light or stop sign, or that one should never travel or drive without properly wearing their seatbelt. For driver education, the fundamentals and elements of what to do and what not to do while driving is incredibly important. In reality, no one would know how to properly navigate roads without the implementation and inclusion of education in rudimentary driving knowledge. The larger importance of driver education in preventing deaths is to inform and educate future drivers about the dangers of driving. After learning the basics of operating a motor vehicle and driving on the road, upcoming drivers should be informed and educated on the countless dangers, challenges, and risks associated with driving. Similarly, it is just as important that future drivers are well-educated and informed on what to do to be safe, attentive, and composed drivers. For example, future drivers should be taught how to properly check their blind spots by utilizing their mirrors and looking over their shoulders while on the highway. Consistently, to prevent deaths as a result of driving, another important aspect of driver education lies in the ability to educate and teach future drivers on how to drive carefully and defensively. Individuals driving and traveling on the road unfortunately will not always obey and properly adhere to the established rules of the road. Hence, it is even more important that future drivers are knowledgeable on how to be careful, identify hazards, and be observant to avoid collisions, injuries, and fatalities.

In addition to the important role played by driver education in informing, educating, and preparing future drivers, there are a variety of steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. First of all, one universal step that all drivers can take to be safer and reduce deaths due to driving is to simply be more patient. For many experienced, veteran, or new drivers, patience is something that everyone can incorporate into their daily lifestyle and driving routine. Ultimately, in many situations involving car accidents, injuries, and fatalities, an individual involved is either rushing, excited, or hurrying to some location or destination. As a result, these individuals might drive haphazardly or dangerously, throwing all caution out the window and ignoring many important rules of the road. While it is likely one may feel rushed or hurried for school, work, or another activity, this situation must still be handled with great care and caution to ensure safety and protection. While one may truly feel obligated to be at a location within a certain length of time, rushing, hurrying, and driving dangerously to get there is not worth the risks one could face. Most importantly, rushing and driving quickly to reach a destination promptly is not worth jeopardizing your life, the lives of your passengers, or the lives of others on the road. In addition to slowing down and being more mindful, cautious, and patient on the road, another step that drivers can take to reduce the number of deaths is to be more attentive, mindful, and vigilant overall. While abstaining from exceeding the speed limit and driving too fast, an important element of being attentive while driving is restraining from the viewing or use of cellular devices. When driving, individuals should remain focused and alert to the road and their surroundings, paying close attention to important details or elements of the road. However, when an individual is actively looking at their phone, texting, or examining social media, they are distracted and unable to remain fully focused and observant while driving. Concerning pedestrian incidents and car accidents, the majority of these issues occur due to distracted driving, where the driver at fault is often engrossed in their phone or another mobile device. Hence, a significant step in presenting fatalities due to driving is to either encourage and recommend for drivers to put away their phones when driving, or incorporate a federal law that makes distracted driving by the use of cellular devices illegal and punishable by law. However, the use of cell phones is not the only issue resulting in distracted driving and inattentiveness on the road. Even those who appear to be focused on the road and their surroundings can still be distracted or preoccupied with something beyond that related to driving. For example, a young driver might be in the car with his/her friends, who might be arguing or laughing with one another. While the driver might still be somewhat attentive and focused on the road, he/she is likely not entirely concentrating on driving safely or observantly. As such, it is incredibly important to ensure that all distractions to the driver are eliminated or quieted to have a safe, secure, and smooth driving experience. Finally, an important step in reducing the number of deaths related to driving is to prevent driving while one is intoxicated or has consumed an extensive amount of medications. Throughout the world, driving while intoxicated is one of the leading causes of death by driving. Hence, being aware and preventing this harmful behavior is a substantial step in preventing death resulting from driving. Instead of putting one’s life and the lives of others at risk on the road, one who is intoxicated, disoriented, or adrift should find a responsible driver to transport them wherever they need to be. With the prevention and acknowledgment of drunk driving, roads will be more secure and free of hazards, resulting in a reduction in the number of deaths occurring due to driving.

I have fortunately never been involved in a car accident. However, I have seen and experienced several friends and family members driving irresponsibly. From driving too quickly to utilizing a cellular device frequently while driving, to driving with only one hand on the steering wheel. One situation where I witnessed a friend driving irresponsibly was when riding in the passenger’s seat with two other individuals in the back seat on the way to the movies. From the time I got in the car, my friend would occasionally check his phone, using it to change the music that was playing in the car, getting on social media, and even actively responding to messages while driving. Moreover, with the two other individuals in the car, everyone was talking and laughing, contributing to the already high presence of distractions and disturbances burdening the driver. Although my friend seemed to be in control, I warned him that his utilization of a cellular device while driving was dangerous and should not be done. While he attempted to abstain from utilizing his phone while driving, my friend would still glance at the cellular device. Fortunately, we arrived at our destination and returned home safely.

As an individual, there are a variety of steps that I can personally take to be a better and safer driver, while also helping others to be safer on the road. One step that I can take to be a better and safer driver is to employ more patience and continue to improve my attentiveness and focus on the road. Occasionally, I find myself in a situation where I feel the need or desire to rush or be in an excessive hurry to be somewhere. In the morning, I am sometimes running behind the appropriate time I would like to arrive at school. Consequently, I drive a bit more quickly or hurriedly to ensure that I arrive at school on time. While I remain focused and concentrated on driving, I am somewhat distraught and eager at times due to my desire to arrive at school on time. In addition to being more patient and attentive under specific circumstances, I can also take steps such as employing greater concentration and attention when driving in general. As a relatively new driver, there are still a plethora of aspects and elements of driving that I can improve and work on. Another step I can take to be a better and safer driver is to continuously be consistent and mindful of the characteristics of being a safe, attentive, and wiser driver overall. Ultimately, the process of learning and driving is continuous and never truly stops. Hence, I hope to ensure that I am always being observant and wise by learning from successes or failures. Additionally, I hope to always ensure that I am consistently open-minded and willing to learn different or better techniques of driving communicated by older individuals like parents. In regards to helping others be safer and better drivers on the road, I can take steps such as being an advocate for my peers and stressing the importance of being responsible, attentive, and observant while driving. In practicing effective, safe, and defensive driving, I can lead by example and illustrate how to improve and become safer as a driver. Through the process of being responsible and holding my friends and family accountable to the practice of safe driving, I hope the impact of safe driving techniques will inundate my friends, family, and community as a whole; in the expectation that these individuals might share their knowledge and understanding of effective driving to others. Consequently, more drivers will hopefully be mindful and knowledgeable about methods of being better and safer drivers, ultimately reducing the number of injuries, accidents, and fatalities due to driving as a whole. All in all, being a safe driver and always seeking to improve is the responsibility of every driver on the road, new or experienced. The process of improving the safety of driving as a whole and preventing death due to driving starts with people, communities, and institutions. Together, with education, acknowledgment, and mindfulness, problems occurring due to driving can be reduced and possibly eliminated.