Drivers Education Initiative Award

A couple years back my uncle was heading to Los Angeles after New Year’s with his son. The previous night the adults were drinking and having a good time. After the party was done everyone headed to their home. My uncle had different plans in mind. He decided that he wanted to go visit his mother in Los Angeles. We live in Sacramento which meant that it would take him around 6 hours to arrive at his mother's home. That morning he had told his neighbor, which he was great friends with, that he was heading down there with his son. The neighbor knew right away that he was still intoxicated but my uncle was determined to go. She couldn’t do anything to stop him except just warn his siblings that he was taking a trip. He had gone an hour without contacting anybody except having a short call with his mother. It would only be two hours before his brother would receive a call that he had been arrested. In those two hours a cop on the freeway had noticed that the car was swerving around on the road. The cop waited to see if he’d do it again and once he did the cop made the decision to pull him over. When the cop pulled him over he noticed in the back seat was a kid. He’d then get arrested and sent to a jail in Merced. In the end he was facing charges for child endangerment and a DUI. My uncle was a very irresponsible driver and not just that he was also placing his own child in danger. There are many different ways that not just I but other people can be better and safer drivers. The most important thing I could do to be a safe driver is to take classes before I decided to drive by myself. I should know all the rules about driving before I decide to get behind the wheel. Not knowing the basic driving principles can place not just me but other people in danger. Secondly I should be alert at all times when on the road to avoid crashes. If the driver is feeling slightly sleepy or their eyes are beginning to close they should immediately switch places with someone or pull over to the side and rest if possible. Under no circumstances should I be behind the wheel if I’m intoxicated or sleep deprived. Another important thing is to always stay at the speed limit and avoid speeding at all. Oftentimes people crash because they're going too fast and they can’t brake fast enough. As a future driver I can make sure to stay at the speed limit and maintain a good distance between the car in front of me to avoid a crash. Lastly, something I can do is have self control. One of the many leading causes to accidents and deaths are lack of self control with using cellphones. I have seen many people on the road looking down and then up from their cell phones. I want to make the habit of not having my phone in sight. I believe that if people didn’t have a clear view of their phone they wouldn't be so drawn to checking it. Just like there are many ways to be a safe driver, there are also many ways to help others become safer on the road. It's very common for people to get cut off on the roads and freeways which is why prioritizing the use of blinkers is important for the safety of others. When people don’t signal their switching lanes they cause people to have to brake quickly or sometimes it’s so close they have to swerve into another lane causing a crash. That’s why using either the blinkers or hand signals is fundamental to having a safer road. Also becoming familiarized with your car and the hand signals you must use when things aren’t working completely in your car. Being aware of your surroundings and of signals presented on the road is the key to more secure and safer roads. Not just knowing what the signals and signs mean are fundamental but also following what the signs are telling the driver to do is important because missing a sign or choosing to ignore it can be dangerous for surrounding people and drivers. I believe upcoming drivers and people that already drive have control of people’s safety. Overall there are many things that not just I but other people as drivers can do to make the roads safer.