Awareness

Driver education helps reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving due to the thorough coverage of every aspect of driving. As a resident of Maryland, I was required to take drivers ed before getting my license and I learned so much from the course. I learned how to deal with different types of inclement weather, vehicle malfunctions, and even how to be more aware of blind curves, turns, and hills. This has helped me personally to be a better driver.

I have been in a car accident. In the eighth grade while making a turn our car was hit by someone who was speeding. There were no critical injuries, but it has made me much more wary of other cars and driving. For a couple years after the accident, I wouldn’t trust cars coming to a stop to actually stop and I was constantly anxious on the road. Getting my permit was one of the most terrifying things in my life. I have recovered from the constant anxiety of driving, but my experience in a car accident has definitely contributed to me being a safe driver.
I do my best to be the safest driver I can be. I help my friends become safer drivers by calling them out when they do something unsafe.

I believe that some of the first steps that need to be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are as follows. First, there needs to be a general awareness of facts and statistics. I personally wasn’t aware of the horrifying statistic of 34,000 people dying per year as a result of driving. Another statistic that should be common knowledge is survivability of being hit by a car at different speeds. At twenty miles per hour, one out of ten people die; at thirty miles per hour, five out of ten people die; at forty miles per hour, nine out of ten people die. I believe an awareness of these statistics in addition to required drivers ed everywhere are the first steps to reducing the number of deaths related to driving.