Driver Education Initiative – Driving 101

Driving
101:

Driver
education is the most important thing that potential and current
drivers should have. It helps teach drivers the proper rules of the
road and to help prevent them from making dangerous or even illegal
decisions. Without drivers ed, people wouldn’t know how to
properly operate a vehicle which would lead to more accidents and
more people and their families being affected by life-changing
injuries or even losing a loved one. In any situation, driver
education helps limit the risks or the dangers of being on the road.
It helps teach people how to manage different situations such as
needing to pull off the side of the road or what to do in the case of
active EMS. Knowing how to handle yourself or what you need to do to
be safer around others and for yourself is so important and driver
education provides that key knowledge. Having that knowledge is what
makes the dangerous road just a little bit safer for people to go
home to their families and for kids to get to school. It is what
helps keep people alive and ready to take on the next day without
worry.

There
are many precautions that drivers can take while in a moving vehicle.
One of the most important things a driver can do before even starting
the vehicle is silencing their phone. This means that the driver can
put their phone on silent to avoid receiving notifications from
others or from apps. This is effective in not distracting the driver
and causing them to shift their attention from the road to their
mobile device. If the driver’s attention is solely on the road
ahead of them, they are more focused on their surroundings and are my
aware of the drivers around them and possible pedestrians near the
road which would prevent drivers from crashing into other drivers or
hitting a person walking near the road. Another important precautions
that can be taken by drivers is securing any items that may be
sticking outside of the vehicle. This can be done with straps or
rope. In either case, securing the item(s) such as a palette or a
pole(s) can prevent such items from flying out of the vehicle toward
other drivers around them or landing in the road.

I
have personally never been in an accident where I was the driver. But
I have been in an accident where I was the passenger. The accident
was minor with a damaged trunk and a broken taillight and was as a
result of an impatient driver. The situation could have been much
worse than it was, but I did learn a valuable lesson. In order to be
a safe driver, you must be patient. Without patience, a person is not
rational and could cause harm to the people around as a result.
Besides seeing other drivers make poor decisions on the road, I have
seen people in my life make them as well. This includes speeding,
changing lanes without a turning signal, and not paying enough
attention to road signs such as a one-way sign. These poor choices
can have devastating effects not just for the driver but the drivers
around them. This can include causing permanent damage to a person or
even causing the death of a driver. Therefore, understanding and
following the rules of the road is important for drivers to be safe
not just for themselves but for other drivers that may be around
them. Having this knowledge can save peoples’ lives.

To
avoid causing danger to myself and other drivers, I could silence my
mobile device to prevent any text messages or phone calls from taking
my attention off the road and I could check my rear-view mirror and
my side mirrors every few minutes to check to see who is behind me
and who is next to me. This would be useful to maintain focus on the
road and keep track of the people around me in the case of a lane
change or if I need to pull off the side of the road. In the case
that I have others in the vehicle with me, I could check to ensure
that everyone is wearing a seatbelt prior to starting the vehicle to
prevent anyone from being thrown out of their seat and to make it
safer for everyone else in the vehicle. Taking these precautions can
help save lives.