Driving Safely Saves Lives

Driver education not only teaches people how to drive but it also teaches you the rules of the road. Driving involves an immense amount of concentration and focus because just knowing how to operate a vehicle does not always guarantee your safety. I have personally seen the consequences of not being aware of what is going on around you and not being considerate when driving. It often leads to disastrous results that may lead to costly repairs or death. Though I recently received my learner's permit and have started driver education classes in July, I believe that the driver education program will make me an informed and better driver. I see it helping me to put others' needs first before my own. Steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of deaths really involve changing the mindset of a lot of existing drivers and taking a different approach to educating new drivers. Technology has been a blessing and a curse; especially for younger drivers. We are constantly wanting information fast and always looking at our phones. What I have learned is that according to the Zebra article on Texting and Driving Statistics in 2022, 14 percent of deaths have occured because people are on their phones texting or viewing their screens. Overall, cell phone usage while driving reduces drivers attention by 37% meaning that during the age of technology, drivers cannot afford to be distracted while driving as it can cost them their life. By working with car makers, maybe there can be some sort of compartment in the car that requires you to lock up your phone while driving. It may be costly but I am sure it will help the number of deaths resulting from texting go down. Speeding is also a big issue. There are some people out there who drive at insane speeds even when they are not on the highway which just increases the chance of someone's life being put at risk because the people driving are being reckless. One thing that we can do as drivers is to refresh the lessons learned in driver education. It may seem pointless and silly but the way that people are driving these days, they do need to go back and take driver's education again. Maybe having refresher courses every 5 to 10 years will help people improve their driving and become safer drivers. That way once they relearn how to drive and the safety and dangers along with it, people may become more cautious when navigating on the road and think twice about the choices they make. I personally experienced being in a car crash when I was 12 years old. My grandmother and I were coming back from the movies. It was raining then and the experience definitely left us both in tears but we haven't talked about it since. Although this is an experience that I have only gone through one time, I would not like to go through it again because honestly, I could have been dead. The weather conditions and not paying attention are what led to the collision. This further proves my point that operating a vehicle does not always guarantee your safety and even if someone is a careful and cautious driver, that doesn’t mean that other drivers are just as careful. One step in me learning to be a better and safer driver is if I know what kind of vehicle (car in my case) I am driving. This includes the type of car, the parts included, as well as learning how to man the different parts. Getting to know the car you are driving will help you be a better driver. I also plan to be a better driver by looking back at the Maryland Driver’s Manual to learn/refresh myself with the important rules of driving and traffic safety. Looking at the manual will help me be better prepared for different driving situations I encounter. Practicing is very important as well. More hours on the road will also help me have more experience and help me get more comfortable with driving altogether. Taking these steps will probably not only save me but save 1000s of others I come in contact with on the road. Personally, I am excited to learn to drive because it brings me one step closer to independence so that I don’t have to rely on others to take me places. Driving is a scary experience but worth it in the long run. Plus learning to drive safely will reduce the risks of me being hurt or hurting others.