Eyes on the Road

Eyes
on the Road

Driver
education should be viewed as equally important as academic
education, if not more because it’s necessary to know how to
properly operate a vehicle. Unlike academic education, a lack of
knowledge about driving could potentially kill and it will put
everyone at risk: from the driver, other drivers, to potential
passengers and even bystanders. While there is a driver’s test,
there are still many risky drivers and these people need to be taught
more about the consequences of driving unsafely because they are
putting themselves and others in harm’s way. Putting someone else’s
life at stake because you want to drive recklessly isn’t fair and
there needs to be more of a stressed importance on it. Earlier this
year, two of my friends went to lunch; on the way there, they were
almost t- boned by a woman texting on her phone while driving. If her
car had been 5 inches closer to the passenger, one of my friends
would’ve been killed. If she had kept her eyes on the road, this
accident would not have happened. By her risky driving, she almost
killed someone, and it shouldn’t take a serious accident to make
someone understand that their actions can have such impactful
consequences. Drivers ed helps, not just because it teaches how
to drive, but how not to drive and shows what some of the effects are
when poor decisions are made. It teaches not to text and drive, not
to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, not to drive
when tired and what happens if you do. We’re shown videos of
horrible accidents, how devastating it was to their families when it
happened and how heartbroken they still are now. One way to be safer
is to put your phone away while driving or to have a passenger look
after it because even the distraction of glancing at a phone can have
serious affect when operating a moving vehicle. Another way is to
simply not drive; between drunk drivers and people who fall asleep at
the wheel, the death toll is incredibly high, and many deaths
could’ve been prevented had they not driven. Although getting an
Uber or hiring a taxi can be expensive, it is worth the money because
getting home shouldn’t cost anyone their life. These steps can help
save lives and incorporating them into our daily lives is absolutely
necessary.