Behind the Wheel

During
the summer of 2016 I began drivers ed classes. I discovered
how important it is to be aware every moment behind the wheel. It
only takes a split second for an accident to happen. Drivers
education informs students about the necessary steps that need to be
taken to prevent accidents. A few of the most touched on steps were
having a good following distance, checking around the vehicle before
getting in, and not driving while tired. The amount of subjects
touched on by the instructor were endless. All of the concepts were
equally as important as the others. Taking an education class
centered around driving helps prevent the amount of deaths caused by
vehicles. Being in a class such as drivers ed covers what
steps are necessary to prevent collisions and how to be a safe
driver. I have never been in a collision myself but I’ve been very
close on two occasions. One occasion happened while my mom was
driving. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open because she was
tired. She began veering off into the other lane almost crashing
right into the side of a semi-truck. Before making contact with the
semi my brother yelled and my mom corrected the car back into our
lane. She made the mistake of going on while tired. In drivers ed I
was taught to never drive while tired, and that the best thing to do
is to take a 20 min nap and get some fresh air before returning to
the road. The other close call happened on my way to school when a
girl did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign almost t-boning
me. I noticed the car in my peripheral and slammed on my brakes
turning a full 360. In that moment in time there was nothing more I
could do because the situation was out of my control. Everything
happened so fast. Afterwards, what I took away from it was that
anything can happen while driving so it’s extremely important to take
every moment behind the wheel with caution. In order to play a part
in preventing car accidents I will make sure to use all the skills
and procedures I learned in drivers ed. The procedures I use
day to day are looking in the mirror then checking my blind spots
before changing lanes. I also try my hardest to avoid distractions
and obey the speed limit. I want to make sure that I do my part in
making the roads a safer place for transportation and cause no threat
to the surrounding drivers. Thanks to drivers ed I’ve been
more confident about actions I make while driving.