I have been in multiple car crashes as a passenger when I was younger, which is why as a new driver I take driving extremely seriously. The crashes that I have been in were all a result of someone hitting the car I was in. Because of this I was a little uneasy about learning how to drive once I reached the driving age, but I knew I didn’t want that experience to mentally ruin my chances of becoming a driver. Growing up as a child I always had a ride to get to wherever my destination was. My rides mostly consisted of my parents taking me or a family member or friend that my parents felt comfortable with. There were times when I would be in the car with someone and not feel safe, either because of speed or it just always seemed like the drivers were doing other things in the car and not solely focused on the driving. Those experiences made me want to be a responsible driver when I got the opportunity to drive on my own.
People, especially teenagers in my age range, do not understand the importance of driving education. They have the mindset that taking a driving course is just a step towards getting their drivers licenses instead of understanding that listening and comprehending what is being taught in the class can assist in safer driving which will reduce driving related deaths. Many times, a teens first introduction to driving is done by a family member and while they may have the best intentions, they may not always cover everything or show you the proper way of doing things or explaining why things need to be done a certain way, which is also why driver education should play a major role in not just learning to drive but learning the correct way drive.
It is not only important for teens to take driver education seriously, but any new driver who does not have driving experience. Also, people that are new to the country. Driving can be different from one country to the next for example, some countries drive on the opposite side of the road, that is a huge adjustment. Even when moving to different parts of the country, it is always good to know the driving rules in your area.
Driver Education is one way to reduce driver related deaths, but there are also many others. Many roads are not as good as they should be. Some roads I have driven have had major potholes. This may not sound like a huge problem but with bad roads and high speeds, that could be a recipe for disaster. High speeds are also a contributing factor with it comes to driving deaths. You can have an accident at a high speed that may cause server injury or even death that wouldn’t have the same effect if you had that exact same accident at a reduced speed. Another very important way to reduce driving-related deaths is to not wear your seatbelts. Life or death when in an accident can really depend on if you had on a seatbelt or not. If you are in a serious accident without a seatbelt on, your chances of being ejected from your vehicle are much higher than if you were wearing a seatbelt. Seatbelts can also protect you from the force of an airbag which could also kill you.
It’s always possible to do things that can make you a safer driver. If I must be at a destination at a certain time, I make sure to give myself enough time to get there early when leaving out. I don’t want to put myself in a position where I need to drive faster because I’m rushing. I also have my destination set on my GPS before I begin driving so that I am not distracted trying to put in the location while I’m driving. I had a situation when I first started driving where my GPS went out while I was driving. I had never experienced this and had never been taught what to do in a situation like this, but because driving safety is important to me, I immediately got off at the very next exit and adjusted my GPS settings before getting back on the road. I got my drivers license around the same time as many of my friends. I’ve been in the car with many of them at least once. I am consistently telling them to slow down or make sure they have on their seatbelts. Some of them I’ve even had to tell them to turn down the radio so that they can hear what is going on around them. They don’t always like it, but I believe driving is a privilege and I want to be as safe as possible, and I want my friends to be safe also.


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