Personally, I was excited to take the drivers ed class offered at school to be able to learn important information about the rules of the road, how to manage a massive vehicle and the steps to be taken in an emergency prior to sitting in the driver’s seat. I could not imagine my first day of practicing driving without having the knowledge from the class because it helped me feel more prepared to drive safely. Before I even started understanding how much effort to use the gas and brake or comprehending the distance to keep behind cars when driving in various scenarios, simply knowing where everything is in the specific car I was driving and things such as who has the right of way or knowing I needed to check my blind spot before merging, allowed me to be more confident behind the wheel. Especially as a new driver, with limited knowledge about simple rules on the road, what to do if someone suddenly slams on their brakes or they can see speeding in the rearview mirror, I knew I could be more likely to injure myself or others in an accident. Driver's education gave me and continues to give other students the opportunity to not only learn about the dangers of driving and how to be safe, but provides a space to understand alongside other new drivers the potential of fatal events when someone drives recklessly. Having the knowledge of being safe on the road from a young age will develop drivers to be more responsible as they become adults.
In regards to the technical rules concerning driving, interactive and hand-on activities in drivers ed classes help produce the best results in memorizing the intricacies of driving. For example, to learn the parts of the car and their functions an assignment in my drivers ed
class was to create a video, in a parked car, explaining our knowledge of
everything we could be required to use inside of the car. Besides knowing how to use everything properly, safety was the most important piece of knowledge we were
encouraged to keep in mind every time we got in the car. My most prominent
memory of the assignment was, even though we never took the car out of park,
to prove we had our seatbelts on. Although wearing a seatbelt may be common
knowledge, readily hearing and experiencing safety precautions prepares drivers
early to be safe in the car. Developing safe habits, such as making sure the driver and all their passengers are wearing seatbelts can help prevent fatalities in the event of a crash and is important to have similar lessons through driver's education.
Once equipped with the knowledge of driving safely, practicing driving
responsibility is necessary. Making sure the passengers in the vehicle know the dangers
of being distracted, so they do not become a reason the driver takes their eyes
off of the road is important before agreeing to drive anyone somewhere. Following this reasoning, I
always only drive my family and people I trust, so I know they will not be a
distraction while I am on the road. If playing music, setting a playlist and putting
the phone out of reach to avoid becoming tempted to change music,
text or scroll while driving. Controlling circumstances outside of the car can also include not intentionally putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation because of unfamiliarity with the roads or driving in certain rainy, icy, snowy or unusual weather conditions to prevent an accident caused out of panic. For example, whenever driving somewhere by myself, I make sure to check the weather in advance to make sure I avoid any flooding or storm that may be predicted as well as knowing potential conditions of backroads or knowing I may have to drive on a main highway. Being aware of the season and time of day, especially paying attention
to animals running onto the road is important knowledge to have before getting
in a car and watching the road and surrounding areas is imperative to prevent an
accident. To prevent speed-related accidents and encourage safe driving habits it
is smart to leave a location at least 10 to 15 minutes before the driver plans to
arrive. Personally, whenever leaving my house to get to school or work or
anywhere where I have to arrive by a set time, I give myself extra time to allot
for a potential accident, sun glare or traffic getting to my location, so I will always arrive on time without speeding or ignoring traffic signs, thus keeping myself and other drivers as safe as possible. When driving with passengers, practicing safe driving habits will help lead by example so others can better understand how they are also an important part of keeping everyone safe on the road. However, even with a driver’s education course and careful riding techniques, accidents can still happen.
As juniors in high school, my friends and I were elated to have our licenses and the ability to drive ourselves to school, sports practices and the freedom to meet on the weekends. Just a few weeks after my friends had gotten their licenses and started driving to school, we met up for school one morning and I quickly noticed my friend’s arm wrapped in a large, white bandage. As it was a sports season for her, I had inferred she likely had an injury over the weekend, but when I inquired about what events led to her arm being bandaged the last thing I was expecting her to say was that she was in a car accident. I immediately wanted to make sure she was okay and did not suffer any other serious injuries as well as know about the details of the crash. Thankfully, I first learned, her and her friend in the car, while they experienced some injuries, were not seriously harmed in the collision. The accident happened while she was attempting to make a left turn out of a shopping center, which she frequented often and at that point I had also driven to various times. What made this particular turn even more difficult to complete safely, was the hill looking to the left, where oncoming traffic was approaching. While she explained the story, remarking she made sure to check both ways before making the turn, the following events happened rapidly. A mother and her young child were in the oncoming traffic lane and were not visible over the hill before my friend started making her turn. In turn, she was t-boned, the airbags deployed and her car spun into the middle of the intersection. Much of the damage was to the driver's side door, which she could not open and injuries from the impact as well as the airbags. Her vivid description of the accident and visual repercussions of the event was an eye-opening experience, proving how ignoring a simple double check when looking out for traffic could result in a tragic situation.
Thankfully this particular incident did not result in serious injury or fatality, but with continued efforts of education, drivers of all ages can practice safe habits on the road and can collectively prevent casualties caused by lack of knowledge and careless driving. With increased effort, taking the extra time to learn and observe from other careful drivers what to do to drive safely, taking a moment before leaving to monitor the weather or taking that extra second to check the surroundings around the driving environment can ultimately save lives.