Safety Starts with Me

• What is the importance of drivers ed in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving?

• What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

• Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly?

• What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

Where I live in Macungie, Pennsylvania, there are many different road conditions that I have to drive through. We get ice on the road from snow in the winters, puddles from rainstorms in the spring, and potholes when the snow starts to melt. All of these conditions come with their own risks and precautions that we get taught in our drivers ed at school. Not only does this class just teach us what the different signs mean and how to properly park a car, but they teach us what to do in the different weather conditions to ensure we are as safe as possible. Many of the accidents that happen around where I live are caused by speeding while it is raining or breaking too hard when it is icy, so having drivers ed classes can really help in reducing these accidents.

Not only are deaths by driving caused by the weather, but also driving under the influence of any drug. Driving under the influence of a drug alters your mental and physical state and not only puts the driver at risk, but all the other passengers in the car and all other people on the road. Having somebody else drive you home is the easiest way to prevent these deaths due to driving. Today, we have services like Uber that takes drinking and driving out of the picture and keeps everybody safe.

I personally have not been in an accident that was due to people driving irresponsibly, but I have heard many stories about the dangers of it. I am a swimmer on my High school’s swim team and swim for our local swim club and in 2001 there is a story of a swimmer that was driving irresponsibly and unfortunately passed away from it. He was a great swimmer that had good grades, great personality, and had a bright future but due to his bad decision he had to pay the consequences. He was speeding at night and collided with a tree and killed not only himself but the other passengers in the car. Hearing these stories helps me understand how important it is to never mix drinking a driving. Knowing how your whole life could be ruined with one wrong decision is something that I will always remember and instill in my life every day.

The best way to become a safer driver is to take all of my knowledge that I have been taught and do my best to implement it in my everyday life. We have all been taught not to speed, follow the road signs, and don’t drink and drive our whole life, but actually following those rules is what makes me and other better drivers.