Working Together Towards Safe Driving

Driver’s education is more than just a class you take in high school to get your license. It creates the difference between a safe driver and an unsafe driver. In drivers’ education we learn about the rules of the road, not drinking while driving, and how to physically drive. What most people don’t realize is that we also learn how to be confident when driving. Drivers ed builds confidence by practicing driving in different settings with an experienced driver. Having confidence is an important quality to have when driving because there are many situations on the road where a nervous driver could endanger themselves or someone else. Think of it this way: would you rather be in the car with someone who can confidently drive on a highway, or someone who is scared to drive on a highway? I know I would rather be in the car with someone who is confident because they are less likely to cause an accident. A nervous driver may drive much slower than the speed limit, slam on breaks, or be scared to be next to a car.

Another important rule we learn about is to not be distracted while driving. Distractions come in many different forms. Whether it is a cell phone, another vehicle, or simply your own thoughts distracting you, it can be dangerous. Distractions are one of the number one causes of the 34,000 deaths that happen due to motor vehicle crashes that occur each year. To reduce this number, the first step we should take is to eliminate distractions. A rule of thumb when it comes to driving is to “drive for others”. This is because you never know what someone else on the road might do, and if you are distracted, you will not be paying attention if something were to happen.

Another step we can take to reduce the number of deaths due to motor vehicle accidents is to be responsible when driving. Being responsible while driving includes never driving under the influence. Drunk driving kills more than 10,000 people each year. That is 10,000 more people than it should kill because this number should be 0. There are so many options available to help reduce this number such as Uber, taxi’s, Lyft, or simply getting a ride from a sober friend. By taking this step, we could reduce the number of deaths each year by at least a third.

A third step we all can take to help reduce the number of deaths due to car crashes is to be considerate. This means we should be considerate of others on the road. Whether it’s an elderly person driving slightly slower or a tourist trying to figure out where to turn, we should be considerate, pay attention, and not get enraged. So many unnecessary accidents happen because of road rage. Although some are just fender benders, others end up deadly.

I personally have never been involved in a car accident, but I have seen some of my friends driving irresponsibly from time to time. It most often involves a cell phone when I see them driving irresponsibly. When I see my friends getting distracted by cell phones while driving, it makes me uncomfortable due to the fact that I know their attention is not focused on the road. All it takes is one second for someone to swerve in front of you, and if you are not looking up, it could end up bad.

Although I consider myself a fairly safe driver, there are steps I could take to improve the safety of my driving and others around me. One step I could take towards becoming a safer driver is to have more patience when driving. I tend to drive over the speed limit a lot because I am either in a rush or just ready to get to where I am going. It is never good to be in a rush when driving because rushing can lead to accidents. I would rather be late to where I am going than never showing up because I got in an accident. When it comes to helping others be safer on the road, I could help by making sure the people I am in the car with drive safe. This involves me helping them pay attention to the road. Sometimes the passenger may see something before the driver does, so it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes on the road. Whether we realize it or not, driving safe on the road is a group effort that involves every driver on the road.