Be Driven to be a Good Driver

Be
Driven to be a Good Driver

For
the majority of people, driving is a necessary task that has to be
done frequently in order to get from point A to point B. However, not
everyone makes it to point B safely; far too many lives are taken
from car accidents and reckless driving. The key to reducing car
accidents is proper retention and execution of the material learned
in drivers ed.

Driver’s
education teaches us the fundamentals on how to securely operate a
vehicle. Despite the fact that it might appear to be insignificant
when we’re first learning it as a teenager, driver’s instruction
focuses on vital things such as maneuvering a car’s steering wheel,
turning signals, seat, and back and side-view mirrors. Furthermore,
it stresses the importance of obeying traffic laws, such as the speed
limit. If we can drive while remembering these basic rules taught in
drivers ed, the roads can be a lot safer.

According
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one third of
all motor vehicle fatalities involved speeding. Speeding increases
the chances of getting into an accident because it makes it harder to
stop the car when necessary. In driver’s license exams,
speedometers are triple checked by the examinee in order to prove to
the examiner that he/she is worthy of a driver’s license. It’s
very important to have this same level of vigilance on a daily basis
while driving and not just for the license exam.

Another
leading cause of accidents is distracted driving, specifically
texting and driving. To put it bluntly, a text is not worth your
life. Texting and driving not only puts the texter in danger, but
also other drivers on the road. We have to take other people’s
lives into consideration here and not be selfish. It’s as simple as
waiting until you’ve reached your destination or sending a “I’ll
talk to you later” text message beforehand which can save so many
lives. More and more cars companies are adapting to this current age
of smartphones and texting. For example, Ford’s SYNC operating
system reads incoming texts out loud which prevents drivers from
physically having to pick up their phones. This is a very efficient
and effective innovation which can decrease texting and driving
fatalities.

I
have had frightening driving experiences when I visited India a few
years ago. There were no speed limits, police patrolling the streets,
and traffic lights. Drivers would periodically swerve into lanes with
cars going in the opposite direction, putting us at risk for a
head-on-head collision. Driving in India is basically a free-for-all.
My time in India definitely made me grateful for our American traffic
laws and for our police officers who enforce these laws.

Driving
is not something that should be taken lightly. Everytime we get in
the car we have to buckle up, check the mirrors, follow all traffic
laws, and proceed cautiously. We should all be driven to be good
drivers because it is our lives on the line.