Name: Kylie Lehne
From: Roseburg , Oregon
Votes: 0
There
is no doubt in today’s culture driving can be dangerous. Nearly
1.25 million people die each year from driving related accidents. In
addition to that most of all driving accidents occur because of
distracted driving. In fact it only takes one text response to divert
ones attention for traffic conditions and in turn leaves the driver
with less reaction time. Before getting behind the wheel for the
first time it is important to have the education and awareness on
driving safely. Statistically the leading cause of death for
adolescents is motor vehicle wrecks. Sixteen years olds are the
highest at risk for driving accidents compared to all other ages.
Therefore taking drivers Education courses can and will reduce a
young person’s chance of a vehicle crash. In fact it is proven that
ninety-one percent of all teenage driving accidents are cause by
those who did not take a drivers ed courses.
How
can we as the public take action against this fatal phenomenon? It is
imperative to educate ones-self on proper driving. Therefore
encouraging adolescences to enroll in a drivers ed program is
a great start. It is wonderful that public schools have taken the
initiative to accommodate students with a drivers ed program.
In my opinion if public schools where to partner with parents to
educate teens on driving education, I think statistics of crashes
would lessen. It is not the schools responsibility to fully teach the
youth about driving, but perhaps modeling strong characteristic of a
responsible driver will encourage a teenager to also develop those
same habits. For parents that means no texting while driving, don’t
make phone calls, wear a seat belt, and drive the speed limit.
Children even from very young ages mimic what their parents do, it is
just part of learning life skills. However, because children are
always watching, they can pick up the “bad” habits that their
parents exhibit as well. So being a good role model for driving can
help negate the consequences of poor driving.
In
my personal experience I have seen my friends drive irresponsibly.
For example, driving too fast, tailgating, and using a cell phone
while driving. Personally I tend to exceed the speed limit, not
because I want to be rebellious. Rather it is because I am inpatient
at times when driving and I just want to get where I need to be. I
think for me personally I should drive the speed limit and it helps
when someone is in the car with me, watching my speed. Taking these
steps to driving slower will save me the consequence of a ticket or
worse an accident that could have been prevented.
Driving
safely takes all drivers to take a stance on following the rules and
being aware. If everyone on the road put in the work to do their
part, I believe the unfortunate reality of driving related wreck and
deaths with decrease. Continuing to promote and advertise safe
driving behaviors can also help the situation of motor vehicle
accidents. Remember children are watching so parents should set a
good example in everything, including driving. In doing this
prevention and awareness will be built for the public overall.
