In the Driver's Seat


A driver’s education is huge in reducing the amount of deaths related to driving. For starters driver’s education teaches the basic laws of the road. Laws are put in place to keep us safe. Thus, learning the most basic laws of the road can help a lot. Another huge part of it is being on the same page as everybody else. This relates back to the basic laws. We all need to know them so that way we can all be on the same page. It is crucial in driving to be able to anticipate what people are going to do. This is one of the basic reasons why we have a turn signal. This allows people to anticipate where we are going to go so they don’t get hit. In that case if somebody forgets to turn on their turn signal it can make it hard to anticipate and more likely to get in a crash. An example is that I personally would not want to drive in other countries unless I knew what the laws were because I would not be able to anticipate anything. It would be alot more dangerous which is why driver's education is important.
One step that could be taken to help reduce the risk would be to make sure you are awake. Sometimes in the morning or late at night it can be very easy to drift off at the wheel and crash. There are a variety of steps that could be taken to prevent this. One would be to have a little caffeine. Caffeine helps to keep us awake plus it is very easy to get so this is a very accessible option. Another one is to leave at a different time so that way you are more awake or take the bus. Another step that can be taken to reduce death is to nominate a designated driver. Driving while intoxicated is an awful idea so if there is a chance that you consume alcohol it is a good idea to have a designated driver beforehand. Another thing that can help to reduce deaths is to know where you are going. This might sound a little funny but at the end of the day it is very crucial. I have seen it many times where people are in the wrong lane and try to cut over a lane or two to get back on track. The only problem is that while doing this they put other people’s lives at risk. So whether it is running Google maps or having somebody who knows the way along with. We should all do our part to help reduce this risk.
I have not been in too many scary situations when it comes to driving. But there have been a few times when I have been with friends and they were going a little fast. The scary part about this is that you feel like you lose control of the situation and that your life is in somebody else's hands. A lot of these situations could be avoided if people just followed the laws of the road.
Some things that I can do to make myself a better and safer driver is to keep myself up to date with the rules of the road. The laws change every now and then so keeping up to date with them is crucial to being a safe driver. Another thing I could do is to stay alert at the wheel at all times. It is very easy to get comfortable with a road you have taken many times which can make it easy to miss new signs or warnings. So always staying alert and attentive can reduce this risk. In addition a lot of young drivers struggle with being too heavy on the gas and too light on the brakes. Brakes can save lives and there are a lot of situations where it would help if people slowed down to allow other drivers to process situations with a little more time. It is usually a good thing to slow down to avoid risky decisions. There are a few ways I can help my friends to be safer on the road. One of these ways is if I am riding with them I can help by giving them directions. It is always nice to have somebody who can give you directions because usually they are better than Google maps. I can also help my friends by helping them process situations. Sometimes there are stressful situations on the road where an extra hand can be helpful. Two minds are always better than one. You do have to be careful to not become a backseat driver though. Some decisions they must make by themselves and there are some that they don’t need your help with. So you do have to be careful when helping with decision making. But these are all ways in which I can make myself and friends better drivers.