Driver’s Education Scholarship Essay
Driver’s Education is essential in reducing the deaths of drivers, as taking the class gives you most, if not all, of the information you need to be a SAFE driver. The more educated drivers we have in the world, the safer the road will be for not just drivers, but also for pedestrians. When I took Driver’s Education back in 2022, I was genuinely shocked by the amount of deaths caused by unsafe driving, whether it be drunk drivers, people who decide they can go over the speed limit, and reckless driving in general. After looking at the NHTSA website (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), I noticed that in 2022 alone in the United States, 12,151 people died due to speeding related accidents. Another key into being a safe driver is to wear your seat belt. As 52% of those speeding passenger vehicle drivers were in fatal crashes in 2022, that 52% were not wearing their seatbelt at the time. While being a cautious driver is good, when you choose to not wear your seatbelt, your choosing to risk your safety.
While the number of these fatalities is high, there are steps that can be taken for safer, and more cautious driving. Potentially even life saving driving. Whether it be wearing a seatbelt, or going the speed limit, there are plenty of opportunities to become and stay a safe driver. It it’s important to know that even if you’re a safe driver, that doesn’t guarantee you safety from a car accident as wildlife such as deer, raccoons, skunks, and other animals can damage your vehicle, not to mention other unsafe drivers. Whether it be drunk drivers, or someone wanting to go over the speed limit, it’s always important to wear your seat belt in case of these incidents. It doesn’t 100% guarantee your safety on the road, but it increases your chances of safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has the statistics for how much wearing a seat belt actually does for you. Wearing your seat belt as a front-seat passenger can limit your chances of moderate to fatal injury by 50% and dying by 45%. 47% of people who were in fatal car accidents in 2017 were not wearing seat belts. When it comes to other unsafe drivers around you on the road, be sure to always be vigilant, and if it comes to it report the bad drivers. Whether they are texting, distracted, or being overly aggressive, road safety is incredibly important to you and others around you.
I have a lot of personal experiences dealing with unsafe driving, whether it be my friends, or family members. A lot of my friends are unsafe drivers, whether it be texting, speeding or illegal racing. This one night specifically, my friend was driving me home from skating. It was about 10pm and one thing I noticed is that when he was driving me home he was constantly texting and on his phone, not paying 100% attention to the road, or our safety. It has been proven that you can not fully pay attention to two things, so when your texting and driving, it is incredibly dangerous to you and others around you because you can’t give your undivided attention to driving. This night I was incredibly scared for my life because on top of driving and texting at the same time, he was also speeding. He was speeding down the road to my house which I live in the countryside so there’s a lot of animals active at night going on the road and it’s incredibly dangerous to not be paying attention. I kept telling him but he said he’s done it before and it’s been fine. I’m still really worried about him, and I hope he stops this habit one day. I haven’t gotten in a car with him since in fear for my own safety.
There are also steps I can take in being a better driver. I personally have had a hard time when my dad was first in the vehicle with me when I was practicing driving. I got so nervous and my mind was constantly drifting. I’m not gonna lie I was absolutely terrified of driving at first because of how many accidents happen around the area where I live. Especially since in the countryside people think they can drive faster because not many cops are around. I’m glad though as someone who drove that I was constantly paying attention, and gave driving my undivided attention.