Safe Driving

There are several things you should consider when getting into a car as the driver. As you buckle your seat belt and turn on the car, what’s the next thing you do? Most likely, it’s grab your phone and send a quick text or pull up your go to playlist. This is where drivers ed comes in handy. It’s important to go through a drivers ed course so you know just how important it is to pay attention to your surroundings as you’re driving, instead of the radio station, fixing your hair or being on your phone. On average, 34,000 deaths annually are car related. Knowing what steps to take to be focused as you drive, can help you be a part of the solution and reduce that number. One thing you can do to be safer as a driver, is to text whoever you need to and put on your music before even taking the car out of park. That way you aren’t doing so as you’re driving. Another thing you can do, is make sure your hair is going to stay out of your face and you aren’t going to be tempted to be trying to fix it as you’re driving. I have been in an accident but I was too young to remember. I have experience with a friend being irresponsible while behind the wheel. She almost ran a red light because she was looking at her phone while driving and had to slam on her breaks before she drove straight into traffic. Some steps I can personally take is making sure I have GPS already going if I need it, having my playlist on and making sure I don’t have any unread messages that I will be tempted to check while driving. Another way is paying more attention to my surroundings and being a defensive driver so to say. For example, if someone isn’t paying attention and is about to hit me, I am able to get out of the way if I am able to because I saw them coming and not paying attention. This will also help others to be safer as well because not only am I paying attention to what I am doing, but also what other drivers are doing also. In conclusion, it’s not worth the risk to have distractions while you’re driving. You can be part of the solution by eliminating any distractions while you drive and being a defensive driver.