Name: Kilyn Clayton
From: Little Elm, TX
Votes: 0
Kilyn Clayton
Driver’s
Education Initiative
Date
Think
of your favorite restaurant for a moment. Envision Yourself stopping
by for a quick lunch break before you continue your weekend
activities. You see several people, waiters, a janitor, a greeter,
and a supervisor, all working to ensure the restaurant can function.
Now Imagine if one person, for example the one of the cooks, decides
to use his phone while cooking despite being advised against doing so
by his supervisor. “I’m not texting” he thinks to himself.
However this simple action has restricted his focus and reduced his
awareness. Little does he know, a fire will erupt and his actions
will have a huge impact on those around him, including his coworkers,
the customers and the trust of his supervisor. Driving is no
different, your actions no matter how seemingly insignificant can
have a large impact on the other around you.
When
we first learn to drive, we are constantly conscious about the way we
drive. Every slight decision you make plays over in your head 20
times to reassure yourself that you are going to make the right turn,
stop at the right moment, and switch lanes only when the opposing
lane is clear. Unfortunately, though as with most things, once you
get the hang of it, it becomes something we do without thinking. We
become confident in our skills, and our comfort tell us that we can
multitask, we don’t need to be “fully there” per say, to drive.
This confidence soon escalates to the point when many drive without
getting enough sleep, while using their phone, and even while
attempting to discipline children. These are all common distractions
that life will throw your way, but its your responsibility as a
driver to prioritize your safety as well as those around you over
something that can wait until later.
Driver’s
education plays a huge part in keeping both the driver and others
safe on the road. Using signals properly, safe acceleration and brake
timing seem like elementary concepts however, these concepts are some
of the many factors that contribute to crashes. In addition to
teaching these concepts, drivers ed also stresses the
importance of unobstructed driving and impact of alcohol, drugs and
other substances on a drivers’ ability to perceive dangers and
obstacles.
Sometimes
accidents happen. Having to check from all angles at one time and
keep track of every car around you leaves a lot of room for error.
Despite this, one of the things you can do to drive safer is to take
an extra moment, about a second to make sure the path ahead is safe.
Many times I used to feel rushed when a car drove to close behind me
and I would speed up or take turns that I wasn’t completely sure
were clear. This is an obvious practice to avoid. Take your time and
assess your surroundings. Safety is more important than the impatient
driver behind you.
To
close, I want to remind everyone what is at risk when we don’t
drive safely. While I am fortunate enough to have never been involved
in a car accident, the effects are devastating for both parties. You
could lose your job, your license and someone could be badly injured
or even killed. We are human and we will make mistakes, but know that
there are steps you can take to prevent this and possibly save
someone’s life,
