In Connecticut, completing driver’s education is required for individuals that are under the age of eighteen. I realized that safe driving would be very important as I was earning my driver’s license and buying my first car. I am from one of the larger cities in Connecticut where drivers seem to ignore their surroundings. You can drive on the road on any day, and you can almost guarantee there will be a car accident anytime you drive. Accidents always create a lot of traffic, and some accidents appear to be very minor while others can be very brutal that cause death. You do not want to be in a situation where you are fighting for your life because someone was not paying attention to their surroundings. My driver’s education prepared me to pay attention to driving habits before really driving on my own. It allowed my parents to join on being aware of their responsibility for me while I was learning to drive for the first time. Driver’s education made us a team effort towards safe and responsible driving. Driver’s education can make teens more aware about driving more responsibly and safely. This education can build their confidence when first driving on the road and includes their parents along the way. Driver’s education is not there because teens are not trusted as responsible people. It is there so teens can be more aware while having hands on the wheel. Even when responsible people are licensed to drive responsibly, they may not be driving in responsible ways. Driver’s education makes you more prepared for safe and responsible driving. I believe it helps you be more patient in making better driving choices when on the road. This is why I believe that driver’s education is very important to young individuals like myself.
For starters, all individuals who enter the vehicle should have their seat belt latched for the entirety of the trip. Seat belts can save lives and it is proven by the Motor Vehicle Safety division of the CDC. Using a seatbelt reduces the risk of death and injury by nearly fifty percent. Secondly, you should never get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It can affect your ability to think properly, increasing your chances of driving unsafely. If you are unable to drive due to excessive alcohol or drug use, make sure you have a designated driver to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Third, make sure you are driving at a safe speed. This is usually the posted speed limit. If that speed is uncomfortable for you to drive, then it is okay to drive under the speed limit. Lastly, do not text and drive. If that text message or phone call is important to you, answer it at the end of your trip; Or pull over to the side of the road and drive to a complete stop before answering that call or text.
From real life experience, I have been in a car accident myself. It happened within my first six months of receiving my driver’s license. I was seventeen and I was on my way to work. I stopped at a red light. As I made the exit, I was unable to see to my left because of the way the exit ramp was built. I pulled forward a little bit to see the oncoming vehicles on my left side. I was still stationary. When the traffic light turned green, I started turning right. As I was just starting to turn right, another vehicle was coming to my left. They ran their red light and scraped the front bumper of my car while scratching the side of their car. I was scared out of my mind because I had never been in a car accident before. I drove into a side street to get out of the way of traffic. The good news was that nobody was hurt. The bad news was that both cars were reported as totaled. This made me feel like I was guilty of driving irresponsibly. Accidents I have seen on the road were ones that seemed to be caused by drivers who were distracted by something. I can guess it was being distracted by their cell phones. Distractions can be avoided. While driving, simply put your phone on do not disturb or have one of your passengers hold onto it for the entirety of the trip. Most newer cars have Bluetooth so that you can connect your phone to your car and answer calls hands free. I highly recommend Bluetooth if there are no passengers and if your car has that ability.
I already practice what I have learned. I do not touch my phone while driving and pay more attention to speed while driving. I do not text and drive at the same time. I do not drink and drive. I do not do drugs. My phone plugs into my car’s console to play music that I enjoy. It makes for an enjoyable and less stressful trip. If I get a phone call while driving, I put it on speaker while my phone is connected to my car. This way, I can focus more on my surroundings and focus more on the road. But I do consider myself a safe driver even though I have only been licensed for a few years. I try to remind my parents every time they are the drivers, and I am the passenger.