I remember sitting in my driver’s education class sophomore year being bored out of my mind. I didn’t understand why I had to sit through three weeks of a class watching gory videos at 7 am in the morning just so I could drive a car. I didn’t appreciate the importance of drivers ed until a few months after I got my license when I was driving in heavy rain and found myself hydroplaning. My mind immediately flashed back to drivers ed, and I remembered what my teacher told us: ease your foot off the gas, turn the steering wheel in the direction your car is going, turn the steering wheel back, and most importantly, don't panic. If I had never taken a driver’s education class, I most likely would not have known what to do in this situation and the result could have been disastrous. I find myself thinking back to things I learned in my drivers ed class while I’m driving, and more times than not, they’ve saved my life. I can’t even remember all the times where the car in front of me slammed on their brakes but because I remembered what my drivers ed teacher told us about staying one car distance back from the car in front of you, I had time to stop. Additionally, those gory videos may have been incredibly tough to watch, but I can confidently say that I will never engage in unsafe driving practices like texting while driving, trying to race someone, or drunk driving. Seeing the faces of all those people in the videos who have had their lives destroyed by driving really hit home the responsibility I have when I get behind the wheel. My driving instructor repeatedly told us that a car is a weapon, and you must use it correctly or else it will cause irreparable damage to yourself and all those around you. Drivers education class may seem like a chore and like instructors are just trying to scare us, but car accidents are real life and, in many cases, they can be avoided with a little bit of knowledge.

The biggest step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is education. I wholeheartedly believe in the saying “education is power” and I believe that knowledge about driving has saved my life on multiple occasions. Knowledge can mean many things while driving. It can mean knowing information about your car like how hard you need to press the brakes to stop or even where your windshield wipers are. It also means knowing rules of the road like right of way or even something as simple as stopping at a stop sign. It also means knowing suggestions about driving that aren’t rules but maybe should be. Things like stopping and driving a car’s distance away from the car in front of you. Or taking part in defensive driving and trying to tame any road rage you might have. As well as having the knowledge that one text is not worth your life or someone else’s life. Your phone can always wait. Some of these steps might seem like common sense but they are things that can save your life. A lot of these steps you might learn from a drivers ed class, or from your parents, or even things that your friends do. For example, one of my friends always honks her horn before backing out of a parking space in a parking garage, and now I do it too. It’s such a simple step but it could potentially prevent me from backing into a car or person. Many accidents are preventable, and I think that the simple steps are often the ones that are the most beneficial when it comes to saving lives.
Thankfully, I’ve never been in a bad car accident; only a few fender benders but these experiences have taught me useful things about driving. For example, about a year ago, my mom and I were driving through a parking lot when a teenage boy backed into us. He was clearly in a rush and wasn’t paying attention at all. My mom had to get a new driver’s side door and the back door on the same side, as well as a new mirror but luckily, no one was hurt. She used this as a teaching lesson for me and told me to never be in such a rush where I can’t be safe while I’m driving. I took this lesson to heart and will leave early if I need to be somewhere at a specific time or if I know I’m going to be late, I just accept it. None of the accidents that my family have been in have been their fault, however, some of my family and friends do drive irresponsibly on occasion. I have one friend who used to text and use her phone while driving. I didn’t realize she did this until one time she was driving me, and I saw that she was looking up a movie on Netflix. As soon as I saw what she was doing, I took her phone from her and wouldn’t give it back until we got to our destination. I told her that she better never get on her phone again while she was driving, especially if I was in the car. I was so mad at her because using your phone while driving is such a stupid thing to do. It’s impossible to give your full attention to the road while simultaneously using your phone, and you’re just tempting fate. This happened about two years ago, and she has never gotten on her phone again while I’ve been driving, and she swears that she isn’t on it when she’s by herself. I obviously don't know if she is telling the truth or not, but I hope she knows how many lives would be destroyed if she were to get into an accident because of using her phone.

One step that would make me a better and safer driver is to be calmer when I’m driving. I definitely don't have anything as aggressive as road rage, but I think being more patient would definitely benefit me. I get annoyed easily when driving and this causes me to not think rationally. This is also a step that can make others around me safer drivers, including my dad who is not the best at keeping calm when driving. Another step to make those around me safer drivers is to share any safe driving tips that I have learned. For example, when I learned in drivers ed about staying one car's distance away from the car in front of you, I shared that knowledge with my parents who had not been taught that. They agreed that this was an easy way to be safer while driving. This step also works in reverse; I can listen to other people’s tips about safe driving and implement them on the road. There are probably hundreds of different steps and tips to make driving safer, and the thing is, they’re all so simple. It’s not hard to be a good and safe driver, and you will never regret being safe while driving. I would never want to cause an accident because of my unsafe driving and I’m sure most people would agree with me. It’s so easy to practice safe driving, and it can prevent the deaths of thousands of people each year.