When it comes down to driver’s education, it comes down to this, people cannot fix or do what they do not know. Not too long ago, I was a new driver so I get it, finally being able to drive on your own is exciting. Exciting, but also scary. Everytime you leave your home there are a million things that can go wrong on the road. I guess that a lot of these issues could be eliminated if people followed the rules of the road. Many teens rush through their driver education in a rush to get to the good part; driving on the road. Drivers education is in place to teach new drivers the lay of the land. Though it does take some time to get to the good part, it’s a fundamental step every new driver of any age needs to take. In school, the more you work on a subject the more comfortable you get with it and that is the same concept with driving. The more you educate yourself on road and signs and best driving practices, the more comfortable (and safe) you become with the road.
In the area I live in (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), speeding is the cause of the majority of the fatal car accidents here. Though school zones and neighborhoods are marked as “Photo Enforced” many of those cameras work to discourage moving violations through fines to the vehicle owner. I think if possible, placing more traffic enforcement on the roads to hold the bad drivers accountable (and even more impose consequences for speeding such as licenses being revoked), updated speed cameras and an additional section to our state Driver’s Ed curriculum on the dangers of speeding alone could reduce the number of deaths related to driving.
Though speeding is a huge issue in Maryland, driving under the influence is an issue everywhere. When you are under the influence your response times are delayed and your judgment is impaired. Too many drivers get behind that wheel under the influence and kill themselves and others trying to reach their destination. Many of them aren’t aware of how drunk or impaired they are and think they are capable of driving home, but are quickly proven otherwise. Some steps to reduce drunk-driving related deaths are bars limiting drivers to one drink and police on the roads at night near bars and clubs. Also, people with DUIs should face more severe punishments as well. One DUI should be a suspended license and the second DUI should be a revoked license.
Thankfully, I have never been in a car accident, but I do know two friends who recently were. A month ago, my friends both got new cars and decided to race after dance practice. When friend A was trying to speed past and get in front of Friend B, she hit Friend B’s new car and took her whole bumper off. Luckily, nobody was hurt but their parents took both of their cars due to their irresponsibility. Last week, a student at my neighborhood high school lost her life due to being in a high speed, high impact car accident on her way to school. The young lady was less than 5 minutes away from her school at the time of the crash. The driver (survived) was trying to bypass a friend he saw on the road. This road had only two narrow lines, which went in two separate directions. In order to get in front of his friend he tried to get in front of an 18 wheeler and crashed his entire right side of his car into it. The young lady unfortunately passed away almost immediately. The driver was going over 70 mph on a road where the speed limit was 30 mph. I did not know the young lady who was killed but a lot of my close friends did. Sadly, this was a wake up call for my peers. After losing someone so quickly they began to rethink their driving decisions and started driving safer while encouraging those around them to do the same as well.
In working on being a better driver I can make sure 100% of my attention is on the road, and making sure I am not in the car with any distractions. I can also work on being a defensive driver and steer clear of other drivers on the road who are not following the law. I often encourage my friends to stop speeding and to stop driving past 12am, as there are so many risks in doing both. I try to make sure I am a defensive driver, even though I am doing the right think does not mean that others are.