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2023 Driver Education Round 1 – How to Save A Life

Name: Sierra Livengood
From: Hesperia, California
Votes: 0

How to Save A Life

Getting my license was a scary task for me, and to this day I still deal with driving anxiety. I’m still afraid to drive on the freeway because I see accidents happen or have been in almost accidents. I felt that in my community I was constantly seeing posts all over social media of terrifying and fatal car accidents, some of them involving people that I went to school with. I was so nervous and scared that I genuinely had no interest in getting my license. I felt embarrassed having to constantly ask other people for rides but the fear that I had of driving outweighed that embarrassment. However, I have personally experienced how driver’s education can change one’s driving experience for the better; my driving instructor made me feel comfortable and not as afraid to get behind the wheel.

Driver’s education is so important, especially when it comes to behind the wheel training. I read every single piece of information in my online training course, yet felt so confused when I got behind the wheel. Oftentimes accidents happen because a driver was distracted by something or not giving the road one hundred percent of their attention, drivers education helps you tackle these issues. There were many times when I attempted to make a turn when it was not my right of way or someone did not stop when they were supposed to, and having a driving instructor there and looking out for me is why I was able to stop in time before something dangerous happened. Driving with someone who was trained to teach driving made me feel so comfortable, and definitely made me feel a lot better than driving with my parents. When we turn to friends or family members to teach us driving it most likely leads to them teaching us their driving “hacks” such as rolling through stop signs or not using their blinkers, but an instructor will teach you the right rules of the road. People get so used to driving that they stop paying attention to certain things or disregard rules that do not feel important to them, but the rules are in place for a reason.

Many deaths from driving involve distracted driving. If people could keep their attention on the road many fatalities would not happen. No text message is worth more than a life, save the response for when the destination is reached. In this day in age we have no reason to take our eyes off the road especially with the advances in technology that allow us to voice text and put our phones on do not disturb, or have a passenger respond for you. Driving under the influence has also led to many fatalities, but this can be easily avoided. Never get in the car with anyone who has been drinking and do not let someone who has been drinking get behind the wheel. Downloading Uber and Lyft or having a designated driver are better options than getting behind the wheel and risking one’s own life or others.

I have thankfully never been in a car accident, but I have seen many of my loved ones make bad decisions while driving. I have seen them texting, eating, applying makeup,messing with the radio, and even leaning down to grab something from the back seat. I’ve seen accidents almost happen because someone simply did not check their blind spot. My mom was in an accident because the car behind her swerved out of the lane really quick without slowing down, but the car behind them did not know that traffic was coming to a stop and ran into her. I’ve helped others become safer on the road by offering to reply to their text for them or grab the item they are looking for.If I know a friend is driving I do not text them or call them, I do not want to be an added distraction. I practice safe driving by avoiding using my phone while driving, if I need to do something I use the “hey siri” ios feature or wait until I can safely pull over. I feel that there are so many devices out there to assist us while driving that I never need to turn my attention away from the road. I do not like to take unnecessary chances while driving. If I’m unsure if i will be able to make a turn in time I just wait because I would rather be safe than sorry.

Safe driving is so important and needs to be taken more seriously. We as a society can save lives by making better decisions while driving, do not pick up that cell phone and do not let people who are unsafe to be driving get behind the wheel. We can avoid becoming another statistic by practicing safe driving and encouraging others to follow the rules of the road.