Keep Your Eyes On the Road

Driver
education is crucial in reducing the amount of accidents, and by
extension, deaths that occur during driving. My drivers ed
experience really helped me to understand how dangerous distracted
driving could be in addition to teaching me how to avoid accidents. I
have to admit that even after driving for almost 2 years I still feel
a bit jittery on the road. However, practicing the defensive driving
that I learned makes me feel a lot more confident in my skills.
Drivers ed not only made sure that I knew the rules of the
road, but also impressed upon me the importance of my actions and
reactions. I feel that encouraging drivers to be aware of what’s
occurring around them and how they are reacting to those events helps
to prevent accidents from happening.

Reducing
the number of deaths related to driving begins with the drivers
themselves. The easiest step for me is to put my phone on silent, or
even zip it up in my purse so that I won’t even be tempted to look
at it and become a distracted driver. Then, before I start the car, I
make sure that my radio is at a low enough volume that it won’t
become a distraction while I’m driving. That way, I’m able to
hear if there are sirens and I am not focused on the music instead of
the road. Another way to reduce accidents and deaths due to driving
is to drive only while sober. Having someone as a designated driver
while drinking is imperative to having safe drivers on the road.
Finally, it’s important to be aware of what’s going on while you
are driving – all of the other steps lead up to this. Above all,
drivers need to know where their car is going in relation to other
cars and stationary objects.

Though
I haven’t been in an accident myself, when I was younger and
attending a summer camp my father got in an accident on his way to
pick me up. He had been driving behind a truck whose break lights had
gone out and had turned his attention to changing radio stations when
the truck came to a sudden stop and he rear ended it. Luckily,
neither party was injured. However, the negligence on both sides that
resulted in this accident could have ended in a far more serious
crash.

In
order to be a better driver, I can make sure that any distractions,
such as my phone, are out of sight. If I am using my phone for
directions, I can simply turn up the volume and follow verbal
directions so that my eyes stay on the road. I believe that phones
are one of the biggest distractions to drivers, and I would encourage
others to turn their phones on silent or in a place where it is not
accessible to them to help them be safer while they are on the road.