Safe Driving Importance

Since a moving vehicle can be an extremely deadly weapon, driver education is beyond essential. Driver education is a tool to prevent fatal accidents from occurring. The importance lies within the specific strategies driver education encourages: safe, defensive driving. Defensive driving is an approach that will provide the driver, especially young drivers who experience higher rates of accidents, with an approach that will cultivate alertness and caution. Being alert will prepare the driver for unexpected happenings. The greater risk of accidents witnessed among younger, newer drivers, specifically 15-24 years of age, is identified as being about 20 to 30 percent of driving accident-related deaths. Driver education functions to counteract such tragedy by instructing how exactly to be a safe driver. As a newer driver, it is hoped that going through the required classes and supervised driving will generate a genuine comprehension of how common driving accidents are. Even if one believes themselves to be a safe driver, another reckless driver could still unexpectedly smash into them. This is why defensive driving is so powerful. On an institutional level, preventive techniques could be stricter mandates around driving, such as longer driver schooling, curfews, and teaching of the real-life or death consequences reckless driving can lead to. Institutions could also spend time explaining the psychology and neuroscience research behind brain maturity and decision-making for people in the 15-24 range. On an individual level, people need to concentrate while driving and how to strive to prevent dangerous situations, in ways such as having no distractions, staying an adequate distance away from other drivers, and maintaining a calm, controlled temperament. However, accidents are still common, especially when so many people drive.

In March 2022, I was actually in a car accident, which was 100 percent my fault. Because of my inattentiveness, I rear-ended a young man on my way to work. It was frightening but probably more so for the young man I hit. We were both pretty shaken up, and I felt ashamed. I was distracted by my sun visor for a moment, saw his car, and attempted to slam onto my brakes. I had been too close, though; I hit his vehicle. Immediately, I was in panic mode, about myself and the wellbeing of this other human being. Accidents so often can take lives. It had happened in a matter of seconds, but it was decently traumatic. Very fortunately, we both ended up being okay, besides bruising and aches. However, I did total my vehicle. The guilt I feel related to the incident and my impact on this other person’s life is considerable, and I cannot get it out of my head. Because of this and my reactions, I cannot fully imagine what a more fatal situation would have been like. I am beyond grateful that it was not worse and the only thing lost was material items. Nonetheless, my experience reveals the importance of being a responsible, alert, and defensive driver. Without these practices, accidents are so much more likely to happen, which range in severity. I will forever be changed by my mistake. It has really set in my head the fact of how dangerous driving can be.

Besides this, I have not had any major accidents, only a fender-bender. My dad has been involved in a few accidents. Some have been because of someone else’s reckless driving, but others have definitely been because of his driving. My mom, on the other hand, has not been in major accidents at all. She also worked in car insurance and injury claims for over a decade, so she drives cautiously, as she is aware of the many dangers. Other members of my family have driving skills that range from extremely safe to very relaxed. Most of my friends, however, have not been in driving accidents at all. I hope they never have to experience that.

Some steps, among the many, I will be taking to improve my safe driving skills include removing distractions while I drive, staying mindful of the dangers, and enrolling in a defensive driving course. I believed I had become too comfortable while driving, too relaxed. Unconsciously, I had begun to assume I would not get into an accident. This attitude is dangerous. It is all too common for fatal accidents to happen from the driver becoming too complacent in their driving skills. Like all other drivers and future drivers on the road, I must stay alert while behind the wheel. If not, at the very least, it will lead to more damage.