The Importance of Safe Driving Education

The education of drivers, no matter how new or old, is very important in helping reduce the number of accidents and deaths due to car accidents. Many of the car accidents that occur could have been prevented by something as simple as ignoring a phone call or phone text or just not picking up a drink. Before even being able to be behind the wheel, we constantly hear about and witness car accidents. Car accidents caused by drinking and driving or texting and driving. It is obvious that distractions are the main cause of accidents. Part of the issue is that after a while of driving you feel as if you already know everything and can do anything. As if checking your phone for just a second will be no issue, but that’s how accidents happen, in just a second your entire life could be changed. I think teaching children from a young age about the dangers of driving would help a lot, as kids we see our parents driving all the time and we imagine it as being something easy and harmless, oblivious to the life taking machine we are in. One of the biggest things we can do is set an example for younger generations, putting phone on silent, both hands on the wheel, 100% always focused on the road, and have everything ready before you set that car into drive. Another thing we could do is up the legal permit driving age. Being behind the wheel at age 16 makes you feel as if you’re finally grown, like you’re an adult now and you feel on top of the world, which leads to making not-so-smart decisions and could end in a horrible accident.

I was in a minor accident last year in 2021, it occurred in November and since then my life has not felt the same. Even though it was minor, and I came out with bruises here and there, my car was completely totaled. It feels as though I have been living with the consequences of that accidents to this day. I lost my first car ever, which I was lucky to even have such a nice car, car insurance payments went very high up, even for my mom. That made me realize that me getting into an accident doesn’t just affect me, but also those around you. My mother had nothing to do with the accident, but her insurance payments also went up. It also made me realize just how quickly life can change, I got extremely lucky that night that no one was around and that I wasn’t badly hurt and had someone to come help me. One of the first things my mother said to me was “sometimes these things happen to prevent something worse”. Now I am much more careful driving and have become very aware of everything going on while I’m driving. I’m constantly checking my speed, seeing if there are any cars around me, any curves or hills that might be coming, at night I drive slower and look to the sides to see if there are any deer or animals about to cross. I also put my phone off to the side where I cannot grab it and if I truly need to check it then I wait till I’ve come to a complete stop. Accidents are scary, no matter how small, and they will affect you for a long time to come. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to start relaxing while I drive and stop being so afraid. After my accident, I was terrified to be behind the wheel, or even just be in a car. It was the first time I had ever experienced any sort of flashbacks. Occasionally it’s like my brain is back at the accident all over again, usually while I’m driving. I have come a long way since my accident and I’m very proud to have developed good habits behind the wheel.

I also became more aware of my friends and family’s driving habits; I notice that one of my friends drive a bit faster than they should and sometimes pull out their phone to change the song choice or read a text super quick. Something that my mother used to do was eat and drink while driving, although after my accident she has also changed a lot of her driving habits. I notice that my friend is trying to set the GPS while being on the road, even my mother goes a bit faster than she should sometimes but usually she realizes and slows down. Something that I could do to become a better and safer driver is to set the A/C and radio how I want it before I take off. Sometimes you become so focused on the little things that you need to adjust that you don’t even realize that you’re veering off the road or onto the other lane. I could also start braking sooner at stop lights/ signs. My sister turns 16 in three years so whenever I’m driving her around, I always make sure to set the best example I can, if we do all of these steps continuously, they will become habit and will help the many distractions that may occur while on the road.