Common routines of many individuals include having to transport either themselves or others from one place to another. Whether it be in their own car or taking public transportation, there is always a risk of getting into a vehicle with a driver who lacks guidance on awareness, knowledge on the rules of the road, and responsibility. Many people do not take into account that even a car's safety features aren't guaranteed to save your life, it is meant for the inevitable situations that allow the car to use those features in motion. If the driver or the person around them isn’t being attentive, the car’s safety system will have to take its place. With this in mind, cautious driving and being aware of your surroundings is what can help prevent a crash and lead to quicker thinking than the split second of time those safety features on a car have.
Fortunately, with driver education programs, this allows many driver’s to learn the importance of being a safe driver and has many benefits concerning a decrease in their insurance rate as well as lowering the fatality rate due to crashes. The opportunity to obtain a proper education on this, leads to people understanding what it truly means to get in their car and drive to their destination. Learning all the ways to become a cautious driver comes within these programs and helps immensely in keeping the road out of harm’s way from any accidents. In order to be safe, there can be measurements taken in the form of checking off a list in one’s mind to remember these steps. This procedure can include checking that the car itself is still running smoothly and will not stop at any given moment, adjusting your seat to be comfortable while on the road, and always being aware of the vehicles around you.
Fatal accidents on the road happen all the time, which is why no matter what the extra step a person is taking might be, it should always be considered important. Major accidents on the road can occur due to reckless driving, being on one’s phone, and being intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “speeding endangers everyone on the road: In 2020, speeding killed 11,258 people with 53% being reported as not wearing a seatbelt”. By stressing the importance of driving the speed limit and always wearing seatbelts, the rate of deaths from driving should reduce. Car accidents can most definitely be prevented, which is why driver’s education programs should be a necessity each year with a test, just like the written test to obtain a permit. Although it may seem unnecessary, this can help prevent accidents from increasing throughout the year. Those who pass the test, can continue driving in a safe manner, and those who fail, must take the test again with a summary of the full course containing key points. This is so that everyone can be able to refresh their minds on what it truly means to drive somewhere, but safely.
Moreover, safety when driving is something that I believe is truly important coming from a car crash experience I most recently had myself. I was always a cautious driver, but I believed that sometimes I was too anxious to even switch a lane or merge on one. There came a time when I had to merge and I was too focused on the merging lane that I did not pay attention to the car in front of me who was also trying to merge. Seeing that my car has a safety feature to auto-break when something is in front of me, it did not do so in time. Following this incident, I decided to take a driver’s education program mainly so that I do not have to deal with the pain of my insurance premium increasing. Throughout this program, I not only lowered my rate but also learned more towards driver education than I ever did before. It helped me realize the importance of acquiring knowledge towards safe driving and how to make sure I know how to properly merge of course! This also helped increase my confidence in driving since I knew more on how to make a safer decision and not feel as if I had to panic when driving all the time. The knowledge I gained from this program helped get rid of my driving anxiety and assured me that I can be a responsible driver who knows the rules of the road.