One Stop Sign

All it took was one stop sign. Maybe she was on her phone, maybe the sun was in her eyes, or maybe she was just in a rush, but had she stopped at that stop sign even for just a second or two I would have never had to lose a piece of my mom. I remember coming home from school and my dad’s car was gone from the driveway even though I knew he was home, I soon discovered my mom laying on the couch with sunglasses on and my dad pacing and yelling at someone over the phone. A lady had run a stop sign and totaled my dad’s car, but the big thing was my mom’s concussion. This was two years ago and she hasn’t been the same since. She hasn’t been able to work nor has she acted like herself, all because of one careless driver. Everyone hears about fatal accidents and crazy crashes, but you never really think it will be you or someone you love until it happens and then it’s too late. My family and I learned this the hard way, so now I try my best to use my story to help educate people on why safe driving and DMV drivers education courses are so important.

Driver’s education helps to minimize the chances of you causing something an accident and even a driving related death. I know you’re probably reading this and thinking that you already took your test and have your license already, but what does it hurt to take a refresher course every few years. Not only will taking a driving course every few years help you stay up to date and make sure you’re the best driver you can be, but most insurance companies will also give you a discount for submitting your completion certificate. You can save money and save lives, why not do it? The other crucial part of drivers education is how it helps to educate new and inexperienced drivers. I know as a new driver you only need so and so amount of hours behind the wheel with an instructor, but doing even just one extra class can help prepare a teen for more situations out on the road. When I was a new driver I got into a small fender bender because I wasn’t fully prepared for situations I didn’t know about. I passed my test with flying colors, but that didn’t necessarily mean I was fully prepared. Maybe if I had taken an extra class or two I would have been better prepared. You can always wonder what might have happened or you can prepare yourself and your loved ones so that nothing happens to begin with.

There are also steps in your day to day life that you can do to help minimize the risk of hurting yourself or someone else while behind the steering wheel. For example, most people are guilty of using their phone while driving, so why not put it out of sight and out of mind. Put your phone in a back pocket, glovebox, or bag while driving. Another thing that not a lot of people think of is your vision. Getting a yearly eye test can be crucial because usually you don’t realize how bad your vision is until you put on a pair of glasses. Being able to have clear vision while driving is critical, so go get that eye test done. Another trick I do is I remind myself often when running late that if I crash or even get a speeding ticket I will be way more late then if I just abide by the speed limit and it helps me to remember that speeding just isn’t worth it.

One second is all it takes for tragedy behind the driver’s wheel to strike so why not prepare? A prepared driver is a safe driver and the resources and tools are out there so that way you don’t contribute to the driving-related death toll. The DMV Education website has so many good resources and different types of classes that are offered including defensive driving classes so not only are you a safe driver, but you can prepare to be on the road with un-safe and inexperienced drivers that you will encounter on the road. If I have learned anything from what happened to my mom, it’s that sometimes it’s going to be the other drivers you have to prepare for because your life can change in the blink of an eye when behind the wheel.