Pay Attention or Pay a Life

Every
time I take the car to go somewhere, my parents tell me “be safe
and pay attention”. While it may seem like something that parents
just say and should be common sense, it really is important. An
average of 34,000 people die every year as a result of driving
accidents. Drivers ed is an important way to reduce these
numbers and improve safety on the roads.

My
younger sister at the age where she will start driving soon. So
naturally, my family is getting information about drivers ed
classes for her to take. In Wisconsin, drivers ed is required
before anyone can get their license. These classes allow new drivers
to learn rules of the road that aren’t always obvious such as
learning to anticipate dangers and what some signs mean. New drivers
need to know about potential dangers so they can learn how to avoid
them.

Driver
education is not the only way to improve safety on the road.
Awareness is another important aspect that increases safety. Not only
being aware of what is going on while driving to be able to avoid
dangerous situations, but also being aware that you should not get
comfortable with your driving skill. When people get comfortable with
their driving skill, they start paying less attention and therefore
are more dangerous on the road. Being aware of this fact allows for a
driver to avoid being less attentive making their driving safer.

When
people drive safer, less accidents will happen. I have been in a car
accident, but I was young. Even though I was young, I remember many
of the details because of how scary it was. The accident was not
deadly nor even very dangerous. No one was hurt, but it was still
terrifying. Even more scary was when someone hit my dad’s car and
totaled it. Knowing someone you love could be hurt is extremely
painful. By drivers taking drivers ed and being more aware,
this pain could be less common.

In
order to be a better driver personally, I have taken drivers ed
and am constantly aware. My family always reminds each other to not
get comfortable driving so as to remember to be aware. If everyone
did these two simple things, the number of deaths related to driving
will decrease and the roads would be safer.