Driving Safe

When my mom said she wanted me to drive us home after I got my learners permit, I looked at her like she was crazy. Driving is a big responsibility and is intimidating when you first sit in the driver's seat and prepare to drive. I wasn’t nervous because I felt like I wasn’t prepared - I was actually very confident in my driving knowledge. I was nervous because I had never driven before, and I always heard stories about accidents on the road. However, driver education gave me confidence in my ability to start driving. Being an informed driver is the absolute most important part of driver education. Without drivers ed, drivers would be uninformed about the rules of the road and have an increased risk of causing an accident.

As the number of automobile deaths increases, we may ask ourselves what the main cause is. With such advanced technology, the main cause, in my opinion, is distraction. Look around you when you’re at a stoplight. What do you see? You will most likely see several drivers looking at their phones. When the light turns green, some of those drivers will still be on their phone and not looking at the road. To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, a person can start by putting down their phone and turning off the ringer. In addition, turning the music up loud can prevent you from hearing sirens from emergency responders or other drivers honking. Being attentive and getting rid of any and all distractions may just save a life.

Helping people eliminate distractions is something I’m passionate about because I have been in an accident that was caused by distracted driving. The accident wasn’t that bad and thankfully no one was hurt. I was only rear-ended, but it scared me and my passengers. The driver who hit me was on her phone while we were at a red light. She explained that she thought I started moving, so she hit the gas pedal. I have seen many friends and family drive irresponsibly as well. I always warn them about what could happen, and I try to talk them into better driving habits.

I will admit that I’m not a perfect driver; no one is. Even I, the one person who always goes the speed limit no matter how many cars pass me, can improve on my driving to become safer. I have the habit of listening to music at a loud volume. I know I shouldn’t, as it could impair my ability to hear. I can also become a safer driver by not focusing on what other drivers are doing, or rather not doing. I tend to focus on people who don’t use their turn signal, and it bothers me to the point where it’s all I can think about. My goal is to use what I have learned in drivers ed to help myself and others understand the consequences of our actions and become safer drivers.