Driving education is essential to not only save your life, but others around you as well. Education to practice medicine, graduate college, or even operating machinery is required to state that you have knowledge of that item and can safely practice it. Driving is a privilege and sometimes I feel the opportunity to drive and operate a motor vehicle gets taken for granted. I believe people do what is necessary and required to pass the driving test, only to revert to bad habits that not only endanger themselves, but others around them as well. If you truly learn and follow the education you obtained in driving school, then the ability to operate a vehicle and stay safe while doing so significantly increases. I believe that driver's education is a necessity that should always be taken seriously and never be removed. I feel that both written and behind the wheel skills are equally important and should not be overlooked.
While there are unfortunate circumstances that are out of your control when it comes to car accidents, there are several ways we can make sure that our chances of accident are minimized. Making sure that we are aware of our surroundings and other drivers is a big way to reduce the chances of an accident. We cannot control what others do while driving, but being more mindful of those around us can be very helpful to our safety. Minimize distractions while driving such as cell phones, eating, putting on makeup, listening to loud music, or even children yelling can lessen the chances of an accident occurring. There is also making sure that your car is properly functioning, you are not speeding, obeying traffic laws, fastening your seatbelt, and paying attention. All of these items will reduce your chances of crashing, as well as increase the chances of you and others on the road reaching your destinations safely.
I personally have been lucky enough to only be involved in one car accident. This car accident happened when I was in sixth grade and it was due to the other driver's recklessness. My mom and I were going through an intersection when someone ran the red light, due to them not paying attention, and they t-boned the passenger side of the car. The airbags deployed and we came to a sudden stop. Luckily both my mom and I were wearing our seat belts so we had minimal injuries. I had a bruised shoulder and some burns on my arm from the chemicals in the airbags, but that was it. I am very grateful for the safety equipment in cars and the new technology that is coming out to help keep us safe. I have experienced friends either using their phones or speeding while driving, and I will usually ask them to stop or be more mindful. I will also offer to drive if I know they are usually distracted drivers.
There are several ways that we can become better drivers, and make the roads safer. I think that we could have driving refresher courses every time we renew our license, which would be a great reminder. Maybe not necessarily to the extent of when you first get your license, but a short online class would be beneficial. I believe that if you are with someone who is driving reckless or not following the driving rules, a respectful reminder to them would help them as well. I feel like sometimes we get into a rush and it then becomes easy to forget the little things while driving. Being able to help others remember is a great way to make sure everyone involved, both in the car and around you, stays safe.
In today’s society we live in a face paced environment and generally tend to rush places. This can cause us to not think about others around us, forget simple things, and even get irritated when we get behind someone who is following the traffic laws. We can forget that those people following the speed limit, or obeying all traffic laws are doing their parts to keep themselves as well as us safe. We need to remember to do our parts as well, to make it to our destinations with no incidents. Driving is a privilege that should be earned and maintained, not a right. Both our families and other driver’s families want us to make it safely to our destinations and not be involved in accidents. I think we should all keep that in mind every time we get behind the wheel of a vehicle.