In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

The importance of driver education is very significant. If all drivers have the correct education, then we can help reduce the number of deaths caused by driving. Yes, wrecks will still happen because of things that we cannot control but if the drivers have a better education then it would still reduce the number of deaths due to driving. One step that we could take to reduce the number of driving related deaths could be to make people retake the drivers ed test every few years or so. This is to make sure that they still understand the rules of driving, and that they still have the correct driver education. Another step could be to constantly be updating the questions that are on the drivers ed test to make sure they are up to date.

A step that I personally can take to be a better and safer driver is to limit all of my distractions. I can make sure that my music is not too loud so I can hear things that are surrounding me. I will make sure that I do not touch my phone while driving, even at stop lights. Another important distraction I could limit would be when I have friends or family in my car, I could politely ask them to keep all distraction to a minimum. Those could include things like the flash on their phone because they are taking pictures or that they are watching a video and it is too loud. One main thing I would ask them to try and keep from doing is showing me things on their phone or pointing things out to me while I am driving. The last step that I can take to make myself a better and safer driver is to make sure I know where my destination is before I start driving and give myself plenty of time to get there. This being so I do not have to use the GPS on my phone which is a very big distraction, and so I do not have to rush.

I personally have been in a car accident. It was not a bad car accident at all just a small rear end. I was driving to my friend’s birthday dinner and I did not know where I was going. I was at a stop light, so I was trying to find the place I was going to because I knew I was getting close to where I needed to be. The light turned green, so I accelerated slowly. I then look back to the road, yet since the traffic was so bad it had backed up all the way to me. I was not going fast at all; I had barely accelerated, and I was barely past the light. The damage was not terrible, and everybody was okay. It really was an eye opener for me. I never realized how such a slight distraction can harm you, and I never realized how fast traffic can back up if you are not paying attention.

Yet the biggest eye opener I have had when it comes to driving is the passing of my brother because of a car accident. My brothers biggest fear was getting in a car accident. He did not like to drive because it gave him such bad anxiety. Yet one night he was out with his friend that he had not seen in a long time. They were just hanging out and having fun, so they lost track of time, and my brother had to hurry to get to work. So, my brothers friend rushed him to get to work on time. However, my brothers’ friend was on a back road driving pretty fast in order to get him to work on time. On this back road there was a driveway, and right as my brother and his friend were passing this driveway a car started backing out. My brothers friend swerved to miss the car and lost control. They ended up hitting a very large tree. Unfortunately, it killed them both instantly being that the engine ended up in the back seat.

This proves to me that anything can happen. My brother had a fear of dying in a car accident so you would think he would be extra careful when driving. Yet because he was late to work, he had to drive faster, and they were distracted because they were having fun together catching up on things. Just the slightest distraction can impact your future and even take your life from you. Because of what happened to my brother I now try to be a very cautious driver, and I hope others learn to be a cautious driver without having to face an experience like mine.