
Name: Eve
Votes: 0
Irresponsible Driving: I’ve Been There
When it comes to reducing the number of car accidents and the fatalities that come from them, education is the first step. Educating people about the risks of driving, and other drivers, will have an effect on how they behave while on the road. If a person has attended some sort of course on driving, they won’t have to learn from firsthand experience how devastating an accident can be on a person and their family. Driver education makes a potential driver more aware of the risks of driving, what uncommon road or hand signs and flags mean, and how their own vehicle operates.
Before I got my license, I did not know what every road sign meant. I learned what the ones uncommon in my area meant by studying for my drivers test. I didn’t know that some people use hand signals when their turn signals or hazards are broken. I didn’t know all the meanings flashing headlights could have. Sure, not all these things were covered in the driving manual, but most of them were. In the two years since I’ve had my license, I haven’t encountered anyone using hand signals or some of the rarer signs, but I know what they mean in case I ever do. But drivers education shouldn’t only be on what signals and signs mean.
There are a great many risks involved with driving any kind of vehicle, whether it’s other drivers, weather conditions, or other hazards. Potential drivers should be shown the statistics for the different causes of accidents so they know what can cause the greatest risk or danger to themselves. When it comes to different kinds of weather, a good driver’s education course should include a lesson on driving in it. My father and mother spent years living in an area that received heavy snow, so they were able to teach me how to handle it, but not everyone is so lucky. When it comes to reducing driving related deaths, an education is just the first step.
Newer cars often have large screens that are used for controlling many of their functions. In my experience, these screens are a huge distraction while driving. When the heating and air conditioning are controlled by knobs or dials, I can navigate the controls without taking my eyes off the road. With a screen, the whole surface feels the same and I have to glance at it to make sure I am in the right place. If the size of these screens and the amount of functions they perform are reduced, I believe it will reduce the amount of distracted drivers. I also recently read an interesting article about how the size of the car affects deaths in accidents. Trucks and SUVs were found to kill over twice as many people as smaller sedans. Reducing the size of those vehicles would help decrease the numbers of fatalities from accidents.
I also have some experience with irresponsible driving, I have done it myself with consequences. I once hit a neighbor’s car while backing up, after seeing no damage I just drove away. I was unaware that someone had witnessed this minor accident and I would then be ticketed for a hit and run. I was perfectly capable of paying attention to what I was doing, but I had been fiddling with my car’s radio and made a mistake. My following actions were irresponsible and I paid for it and learned from the experience. I am also not the only irresponsible driver in my family. My sister is easily distracted and often gets to swerving the car or missing stop signs if someone tries to engage her in conversation. My grandfather is similar, only he is more forgetful and has forgotten to even turn on his headlights.
There are multiple steps I can and have taken to improve my driving. When I am alone, I drive with the radio off to prevent it from distracting me. When I have a passenger, they have to work the radio if they want music. I also try to avoid getting into heated discussions with any passengers because the more attention I pay to the conversation, the less I am paying to the road. I haven’t done this yet, but I plan to learn how to navigate my center console by touch as well as possible. If I know what the buttons and dials feel like, I won’t have to glance away from the road in order to see what I am doing. I am also very short, so I got a small cushion for the driver’s seat in order to be higher up and see around me better. I think it would be helpful to other drivers to make similar decisions, although I doubt many of them will need to be taller.
Educating drivers should be a priority, so they know more about what they are doing and how to reduce risks. Education is only the first step to making driving safer for everyone. Drivers need to decide to better themselves before any changes can be made. Some design aspects of cars can even be changed to reduce distractions and make the road safer.