Driver Education Initiative – Driver’s Remorse

Driver’s
Remorse

Many
people die everyday from car accidents. Whether it’s driving under
the influence, or driving while distracted, thousands of people are
losing their lives and loved ones due to negligence. Drivers
education is essential to knowing the basic but critical information
that keeps everyone on the road safe. I’m a beginning driver and if
I didn’t take drivers ed, I probably wouldn’t be aware of
the basic rules to put in place in order to keep myself and others
safe on roadways.

My
mother made sure I took this course because she knows the importance
of driving safe to protect yourself and loved ones. As she explains
it, when we drive it is done defensively in order to be aware and
prepared for other drivers who may be distracted. Less than a month
ago, we were in a car accident due to a driver turning right on a red
light as we were coming through the intersection. This driver never
stopped at her light and my mother was forced to jerk her steering
wheel in order to swerve out of the way while making sure no other
traffic was coming to the left of us. We still ended up getting
broadsided on the back passenger door and wheel where my younger
brother was sitting. Luckily my mother’s quick reflexes and 30
years of driving experience prevented a major accident and injuries.
While we waited for the police the driver of the other vehicle got
out of the car only to state they didn’t know what had happened and
didn’t realize they were at a red light. Incidents like this happen
on a daily basis for lack of attention and intelligence that is not
being applied while on roadways. We believe the driver was looking at
her phone or distracted by something else which caused her to hit us.
It all happened so fast and people need to remember that it only
takes a few seconds for an accident to become fatal.

There
is an upside to driving safer if we are all implement them while
driving. Although these actions will not prevent car accidents from
happening maybe the total of deaths while driving will decrease. If
all parents have their teen drivers participate in a drive safe
program that is linked with car insurance so they receive a report of
their child’s driving each month. I also feel hands free driving is
not enough to prevent crashes as people can still be distracted.
Every state should also enforce a no texting and driving policy.
Austin already passed this into law and it seems to have cut back on
the amount of accidents they are seeing each year.

I
definitely plan on using good practices while driving. Not talking on
the phone, and not texting and driving, are key. If I want to listen
to my music on SoundCloud, I will put it on before leaving. We all
have to do our part to help each other and stay informed about the
importance of safe driving.