Stay Focused. Stay Educated.

Stay focused. Keep your eyes on the road. Don’t touch that radio. These are all statements we have heard our parents say while we are learning to drive. We respond automatically with I know because they are simple to understand. However, we get in a rush and drive just a little over the speed limit. We use yield and stop signs a little more exchangeable. The text message may be very urgent. I hate this song and must change the radio right now. This person is going so slow that I must pass them or I will be late for school. We have it under control until the split second that something goes wrong. The odds appear to be in your favor until they are not and the penalty can result in someone’s death or even your own death.

Knowledge and education are the basics of driving. These skills are acquired through testing to get your license and experience through driving. A driver education course educates us on the skills needed to improve our driving abilities, abide by state law regulations and reduces the number of fatalities caused by accidents. A driver education course helps drivers in their teens and twenties understand better on the main causes of accidents and fatalities. It covers issues relating to sleep deprived drivers, following too closely, excessive speed, failure to yield right away, failure to stay in right lane and issues with being distracted. Some items we may already know to do but it shows the significance in the issue by providing statistics.

For example, it takes five seconds to send a text yet the maximum time you should divert your attention is two seconds, according to Teensafe, 2018. On average 34,000 people die each year due to car fatalities. More have died in one year from car fatalities than the total number of American soldiers who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan combined (DmvEdu, 2023). Car fatalities are the leading cause of deaths among young adults. Driver education can reduce the number of deaths by taking the steps to educate people to become a safer driver when behind the wheel.

Just last month, I received notification that a previous coworker was driving home from work. She was too tired to drive but made the attempt regardless. She is now blessed to be alive as she thought she was taking her normal exit but instead hit a median and shot herself into a pole. Luckily, a police officer was close by on the highway making sure no one was speeding and witnessed the incident. The office immediately came to rescue and hours later my friend was undergoing major surgery. Given her speed on the highway, the impact caused severe bodily injuries. It took an hour to get her out of the car. Her diaphragm was torn and her colon and intestines were pushed into her chest collapsing her left lung. She had emergency surgery to put her organ back in her abdomen and to place a chest tube to restore her lung. Staples were placed in her head to close a large laceration and they discovered a brain bleed. They inspected her organs during surgery and discovered a laceration on her spleen and liver and a ruptured bladder. Two ribs were fractured along with lots of generalized bruising and other abrasions. She arrived at the hospital unconscious and was given an alias name.

My friend is blessed to be alive and now is an advocate of making sure others do not drive when they are fatigued. Should she have taken a driver education course, then she may have made the choice not to risk her life. The driver/defensive courses are helpful to not only young adults but also to all generations. My parents recently received their certification in defensive driving skills to remind them of regulations and the importance of safe driving. This course also allowed them to receive a discount on their insurance.

I personally have completed a driver education course and received a discount on my insurance as well. This course helped to provide me with reminders on driving requirements and skills, as I am only 18. In addition, I learned incredible statistics on the issues that can arise should I not stay focused when driving. Driving fatalities can’t completely be eliminated as accidents will sometimes happen but by being educated and being focused we can reduce them up to fifty percent. Stay focused. Stay educated. Be the difference.