In The Driver's seat

More than 90% of car accidents are caused by human error when driving. To be an effective driver, one needs to be a defensive driver, decrease distractions in the car, and know the rules of the road. Every time you get behind the wheel you have a responsibility to take the necessary steps to keep you and everyone else on the road safe.

One of the most important steps that people need to take in becoming a good driver is participating in driver's education . In driver's education you learn the importance of being a defensive driver, so you protect your life and others on the road. Through driver's education you learn how to control your emotions on the road and keep calm in stressful situations. By having those skills, it leads to a decreased amount of deaths on the road. Secondly, through driver's education new drivers get the experience they need in a controlled environment with an experienced driver to coach them the whole way. This way the new driver can go on to the road with the experiences they need to be a safe driver. It is seen that accidents happen when a new driver does not have the proper experience to handle driving alone on busy roads. Learning the rules of the road will  lead to less accidents and safer roads for you and others.

In the beginning of many people's driving career they have stories of car accidents that lead to them becoming better drivers. My story happened way before I could even drive. It happened about 6 years ago when I was sitting in the back of my dad´s car heading home from a family Thanksgiving at my uncle's house.  We were leaving my uncle´s house in the country early one morning.  The road we traveled upon was empty and quiet.  Our drive had been a somewhat uneventful experience until suddenly while  coming up over a hill, we spotted a white barn owl. The big white owl flew in front of my dad´s car and collided with his front windshield. The accident happened in a matter of seconds with my dad coming to a screeching halt on the side of the highway. We all sat there for a little bit and no one spoke. My dad got out of the car and went to look at the front of his car. As I sat there in the car I knew that when I got my license I would always pay close attention to the road and unexpected events. I knew that I never wanted to have anything like that happen to me. All lives are important and I have a responsibility to keep myself and others safe.

Eliminating distractions on the road can be shown in many different ways. It can be texting on your phone, talking to the people in the car instead of focusing on the road and also eating while driving. These are just some of the examples that can lead to major accidents on the road. To ensure that drivers are safe when driving they need to eliminate distractions. The best way to eliminate distractions is first make sure that your phone is put away when driving. If GPS is needed, get a stand to hold your phone and make sure that the animated voice is on. Secondly when you have other people in the car make sure your top priority is the road and not talking to the people in the car. In addition when driving a car you need to make sure that you are well rested and have a clear mind. To ensure that you have a clear mind when you enter the car, never get in the car when you are angry or sad. Those emotions lead to accidents on the road. Also being well rested goes along with keeping your emotions under wraps. So it is important that everyone knows the importance of good sleep, because not being well rested and falling asleep while driving is endangering your life as well as others on the road. Lastly when you stop and get food on the road, make sure that you wait to eat the food when you are either stopped at a rest area or you have reached your destination. By eliminating distraction we ensure that we are doing our part to keep the road safe.

Driving is about valuing other people's lives on the road and taking steps to make sure that when we get into our car we are conscious of the lives we may impact by the choices we make on the road. To be an effective driver you need to take the driver's ed, learn the importance of being a defensive driver, and eliminate distractions. This can be learned through personal experiences and others experiences on the road. With these steps taken we can decrease the amount of death on the road and instill in young drivers the importance of being a responsible driver.