Drivers Education Initiative

I believe that driver’s education greatly reduces the numbers of deaths that can occur while driving. Being in a classroom where an instructor is giving first hand accounts of his or her own experiences driving, while explaining the rules as well, pushes safer driving techniques much harder than any textbook ever could. Learning how to drive from someone who is certified also teaches the rules of the road much more thoroughly than any parent or textbook ever could. So many simple rules are broken everyday by people who do not even know they are breaking the law. Simple laws, such as turning into the lane you are supposed to and then switching to the lane you want, instead of turning directly into the lane you want, are easy ways to cause accidents. Having someone who knows all these rules and are required to teach them, can greatly reduce the amount of people who are not aware of laws like this.

I think that requiring all people who wish to get their driver’s license to take driver’s education classrooms should be the first step in reducing the amount of accidents related to driving. I think this will help educate and teach people all the rules of the road so they know the safest ways to drive. I think the next step should be to ban all forms of distracted driving by phones. Texting and driving, for the most part, is banned, but changing the song on your phone or checking the map should be illegal as well. It doesn’t matter why you are looking at your phone; taking your eyes off the road for even one second could be fatal. Looking at where you are going before you leave, or listening to the directions from maps are easy solutions to avoid looking at your phone while driving. More people will be less willing to go on their phones while driving if there is a risk of getting a fine for it. Another step that I think should be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving is stricter seatbelt laws. Seatbelts should be required for all people of all ages all the time with no exceptions. Seatbelts are intended to help keep the person safe and should be mandatory to wear.

I have never personally gotten into a car accident, but I have been around loads of people who do not drive safely. My mother actually got hit by a car who was backing up a few years ago. The woman was not looking in her rearview mirror while reversing and did not see my mom. My mom had to go to the chiropractor for a long time to recover from the pain in her back. My sister got into a car accident a few months after she first started driving when she was sitting at a stop light and the car behind her ran into her. The girl in the car behind her had not hit her brakes or seen the stoplight because she was trying to wipe the dust off of her radio. Despite having been in a car accident where the person at fault was distracted, my sister is the most distracted driver I know. Every time I ride with her I have to remind her not to go on her phone and to drive with two hands on the steering wheel instead of using her knee. My best friend has almost driven her and I off the road quite a few times because she could not wait to send a text. When I tell her she should not be texting and driving, she always tells me that she is not going to crash because she does it all the time. People think they can get away with unsafe driving because they have not crashed yet. I also have ridden with people who drive a large amount over the speed limit and appear as if they are going to tip over or run off the road because they are going so fast. Which is very unsafe.

To keep being safe on the road, I will continue to use the knowledge I learned from driver’s education and keep following all of the traffic laws. I will also keep holding others accountable for distracted and unsafe driving. I will keep making sure everyone wears seatbelts in my car and I will continue to always wear my own seatbelt. I will make sure I am always driving the speed limit and not look at my phone or focus on other things that are not the road. Too many people die because of unsafe driving and I will encourage myself and others to drive safely to avoid more unnecessary deaths.