It’s important for future drivers to get the best driving education they can get or afford. It is a very crucial knowledge that can save you from a near-death situation. My father has been driving for about 25 years and he can attest to that. He has been in many near-death situations where he could have lost his life because of a reckless or inexperienced driver. During moments like that was when he was able to rely upon his prior knowledge. He was so well educated as a driver that he was able to instinctively examine the situation, and take the best course of action to avoid a collision. That is one of the reasons why he tells me constantly that driving is not a game. It takes skills to be a good driver, which can only be obtained by getting the proper education. However, for some of us, it takes almost causing a car accident to understand the value of being well educated. In my case, I was driving on a highway, and I decided to change lanes. I signaled and checked my mirrors like I was taught and trained to do. However, what I failed to do was check to see if a car was in my blind spot. As I was beginning to turn, my dad quickly straightened the steering wheel and stopped me. At the time I was very confused and didn’t understand what I did wrong. However, after I turned my head to check I realized there was a car in my blindspot. Which I had failed to notice, and if my father hadn't stopped me when he did, I would have caused a car crash. That was a very important teaching moment for me because my driving instructor had warned me to check my blind spots at all times. So overall, I hope my fellow peers and driving students alike would learn from my mistakes, and take their driving education seriously.
Hundreds of thousands of people die in car accidents every year, which is very unfortunate because most of these accidents can be avoided. Getting a good driver education has to be the first step in lowering the number of deaths related to driving. It is too crucial to be ignored. In addition, another step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is enforcing driving laws more. This is a very crucial step because for example many drivers especially teenagers drive unaccompanied on the road with just a permit license. This happens so frequently because they rarely ever face any consequences. They believe that they are well trained and ready to be on the road by themselves, but in some cases, they aren’t. This is why we have the driving test in place to determine if we are ready to be on the road or not. Moreover, another step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to stay focused while driving and avoid distractions. This seems very obvious right however, it’s so easy to get distracted while driving especially when you are on your phone. This was especially true for me because I would tell myself that checking one little text message wouldn’t hurt but, only a split second is all it takes while my eyes are off the road, for something dangerous to occur. So, never make any excuses to get distracted while driving because whatever it is you want to do or check can wait.
I was very recently in a very dangerous situation that could have led to me and my friends being injured in a car accident. My friend Maria offered to drive me and her friend, Camille, to school, since our bus came at 6:01 am. which was early. I had just recently been driving with my dad so all his lessons and instructions were still fresh in my head. Moreover, as I got into the car I realized that her windshield was very blurry, and it was difficult to see. So, when I brought it up she told me that she would get it fixed later and that it was good enough to drive. Looking back now I wish I pressed her more on the matter, to try to get it fixed before we started driving because it was unsafe to drive in that condition. Anyways, we got on the highway and I noticed she kept taking her eyes off the road to look at her phone for directions. I offered to hold up her phone for her so she could keep her eyes on the road, but she insisted that she was ok. However, as we were driving the truck in front of us slowed down while on the highway because of traffic. Maria was looking at the GPS on her phone as we were about to collide with this truck, but thankfully Camille noticed as she screamed out Maria’s name while there was enough time to hit the brakes. It was a very scary and dangerous experience that could have been avoided if I had been more persistent with my concerns.
In conclusion, the steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road is to put to practice what I’ve been taught. For example, as I stated previously I should have checked my blind spot before changing lanes but I didn’t. I should have been more persistent about the unsafe driving conditions we were in, especially since Maria hasn’t been driving for very long, but I didn’t. I didn’t take the appropriate action for either situation, which could have led to me being injured or killed. I understand now how important a driver education is and I intend to put what I've learned to practice.