Name: Jasmine Balcarcel
From: East Lansing, Michigan
Votes: 0
Safe
Driving 101
By
Jasmine Balcarcel
Having a well given
drivers ed is just as important as having a college or high
school education, if not more. Car accidents and motor vehicle
accidents are toward the top of the list when it comes to reasons of
fatality. With having better street smarts (literally), the number of
deaths on the roads have the potential to decrease dramatically.
Driving schools are able to better educate young and excited drivers
by exaggerating the consequences of unsafe driving with a phone
behind the wheel, overcrowded cars, or even night driving risks. I
know I feel as though I walked out of driving school with a license
but not fully aware of all the types of things that could go wrong if
I am not careful with my car.
Drivers can help
protect themselves by putting their phones on ‘do not disturb’
while driving, so they won’t even know when they receive a
notification or a text. Another way is to let friends and family know
he or she is driving to reduce the amount of messages they could get
while driving. Avoiding eating while driving may also protect the
driver from any unwanted accidents on the road. If you have a drink,
consider a drink with a straw and a lid so you can avoid trying not
to spill it everywhere and on yourself if you need to hit the brakes.
If you are feeling
sleepy before driving somewhere, consider staying home for the night
so there is no risk of you falling asleep at the wheel and harming
yourself and/or others. Turn your music down so you can focus on the
road. Not being able to hear an ambulance or a police car or even a
train can cause major problems- for very obvious reasons.
Luckily, I have not
been involved in any major car accidents. However, just earlier this
year, my stepmom got into an accident with a deer on her way home
from the grocery store. She was driving in the dark and was on the
phone with my dad, one hand on the wheel and mind taken away from her
most important task. She was distracted by what my dad was saying,
blinding her to the doe that was slowly crossing the road. She ended
up smashing the front of her SUV. Had she not called my dad and had
had her main focus on the road and her surroundings, she could have
easily avoided this accident and saved her bank account from the
damage done to her car.
Every driver can be
a better one, no matter how good you may think you are. To start,
turn your cell phones on silent and tucked away where they cannot be
easily reached. Avoid drinking alcohol before ever stepping
into the driver’s seat, and if you really need to get home, ask a
sober friend to give you a lift to avoid chances of you harming
yourself or others. Be sure to eliminate any possible distractions,
whether that be the new Ariana Grande song on high or the McDonald’s
bag sitting pretty in the passenger’s seat. And remember- always
fasten your seat belt. That will do you the most good if anything
were ever to happen.
