Driving education in schools should be one of the first forms of education that a teenager should have. These types of classes can be so informative if taught correctly. The second form of driver's education should come from the state that you live in. We have a driver’s education class that we have to attend in the state of Kentucky which I found ok but it could have been better. The third type of education should come from your parents. All parents can share experience that they have had while driving over the years.They are the ones that teach us how to drive. Having all this education, I believe can benefit anyone when they start driving. I did start driving in the state of Arkansas at the age of 14 with a learner's permit. I could only be in the car with a parent. I got two full years of driving training from my parents. I got to experience town driving, interstate driving and many different weather conditions. So instead of practicing for 6 months, I was able to get the experience for 2 years. I think that it did benefit me in the terms of time and the age that I started driving. I can say that I am a better driver for it.
Slowing down is probably one of the best ways one can reduce traffic accidents. If someone finds themselves speeding and in a hurry they need to just leave a little earlier and slow down. It seems that a lot of people just fail to use turn signals. Turning on a turn signal can reduce the number of accidents from the rear. One of the most important things we can do is just avoid all distractions as possible. This can be from devices in your car, someone in your car that is distracting or even loud music .If the weather is bad allow for extra time or rethink even going out in the first place. Stop driving under the influence. My mom is a Paramedic and so many times she talks about people driving under the influence. Not just alcohol but also drugs. She says, you never know what the person in front of you has been doing and you don’t forget about who is in the car behind you. When put in a situation that puts you under the influence just call someone or have a sober person take you home. So many times people say they will be fine and then moments later they are dead. Wearing your seatbelt saves so many lives everyday. My mother always comments if seat belts were worn in an accident that she had to go on. She doesn’t give me details but she uses it as a teaching tool. Why would one person in the vehicle have one on and the rest did not? Or why wasn’t the car seat fastened in the car? Installing car seats should not be taken likely and if someone doesn’t know how to secure them in the car, they can take it to one of our fire departments and they will show them. When getting into a vehicle make sure that you have your seat belt on and make sure everyone puts their seat belts on.
It seems like people experience road rage. Some forms are worse than others. My father displays this type of behavior and I don’t understand. He gets mad at every little thing while traveling. It is distracting and very annoying. He will ride people back cars, cuss at them, try and pass like a lunatic. I just don’t see the point. I have witnessed other drivers just pulling over and letting him go by.
I have not been in any form of accident to cause hospitalization but my mother, stepfather and I last fall hit a deer pulling a 34 foot enclosed trailer. It was dark outside. As we were coming over the hill he noticed something huge in the middle of the road. As we got closer he knew it was going to have to be something, that he needed to avoid the deer, but he couldn’t. The deer was in the middle of the road, the car that hit the deer was sitting on the right side of the road and there was traffic coming in the other lane. He had nowhere to go but to hit the dear. The back of the trailer started going into the other lane so he quickly pulled the trailer brake controller and straightened it up. We made it to the end of the road and pulled into a church parking lot. Thankfully the only damage was to cable to the transmission that would not allow him to put the truck into park. It was a scary situation but the good Lord had us in his hands on us. We could have hit the car sitting on the side of the road or that trailer could have caused a wreck in the oncoming lane. We were all very lucky. I always pay attention to the roads and constantly scan for potential hazards, wild life, the cars behind me and coming at me in the other lane. When traveling on the interstate, I am always looking way ahead to see If I notice any cars that are starting to break. This always lets me know when there could possibly be an accident and I can take the measures to slow down in a way the other vehicles can start to slow down behind me.
In concussion we all can be safer drivers. With education, common sense and experience we all can be better drivers.