As the most widely available and most used form of transportation worldwide, driving can pose an inherent danger to many. Many road accidents result in fatalities each year and leave even more with extreme injury or trauma. These events, while tragic, highlight the urgent need for improved driver education, especially as the increased automation of cars leads to more fatigue, as people become unengaged when they do less driving for themselves. With the right training and consistent learning, drivers can continue to learn skills to navigate roads safely and with extreme attention, reducing the possibility of accidents and allowing for reduced deaths and injuries. Ultimately, we can reduce the number of deaths due to driving by offering cost-free formal education, promoting defensive driving in our communities and raising awareness about what to do when an accident actually happens.
Personally I have never been in or caused an accident but have had family members in serious accidents. My mom a couple years ago was in a serious accident. She was lucky enough that the car hit her in a strong enough place for the car to not crumple or compress. What made it very life threatening is the condition she has. My mother was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease called Addison's disease. This disease in short prevents the body from being able to handle stress effectively. Any stress at all can eventually lead to death and can make harmless situations life threatening. The lack of awareness for this rare disease posed an even greater threat when my mom got in an accident, as the paramedics did not know how to treat her properly and needed my dad to rush over to help. This dangerous situation left my mom with some serious trauma surrounding driving and altered my views on road safety. The fact that even the lightest of accidents can pose a serious threat to her motivates my passion for safe driving. I also believe that while preventing accidents is the focus for driving education, I think education should also focus on how to deal with accidents themselves. Many don’t know how to react in the event of an accident and if people know how to help properly this would pose less of a threat to people like my mother with serious conditions.
To stop the lack of properly educated drivers, drivers education/awareness programs should become more widely available to the public with subsidizing and funding from the government to lower costs. The populations that pose some of the most risk to our roads are  teenagers. According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) around three thousand teens aged 15-19 were killed in car accidents. To add, “teens are 10 times more likely to be in a fatal car crash than adults” (California Office of Traffic Safety) with most happening in the first 6 months of getting their licenses. This shows the inherent need for education in our driving system and highlights the need for education as soon as teens get their license or even before they are allowed to. This is a solution that will benefit all aspects and problems of driving safety, creating a safer road overall. Without a doubt this will lower driving related deaths and allow for safer road conditions if everyone is better and more regularly educated. This increase in well educated drivers will allow for an even better educated generation of new drivers each year. I believe that this is a general solution that can increase all aspects of driver safety while allowing an equal chance for all drivers to improve their skills
Through my values in safe driving I make sure to apply them to my daily life. While I enjoy driving and experiencing the freedom of the road I make sure that I am aware of my surroundings at all times. I particularly value the systems of “defensive driving.” This form of driving requires one to look ahead and predict what could happen, evaluating risks, and acting to keep yourself safe. Not only does it protect yourself but the act of being proactive keeps the road safe as others can work together to promote safety. To add, I like to stay informed in new strategies of driving and always try to stay aware of the things that I can improve or do better with. For example, something that a lot of people forget to do is remain calm while driving. Recently I have taken to this and make sure that even when people make mistakes on the road that getting emotional does nothing. Most times honking is never needed and what’s more important is staying aware and taking the time to assess what is going on, then adapting to the situation. Additionally, I try to promote safety especially with friends and family, pointing out when they are being unsafe or some things they should try to be safer. I make sure to maintain this attitude towards driving as from my personal experiences driving safely is something I hold extreme value to. I believe that while the driving system is not necessarily bad, I think there is still work to be done to make driving a safer activity.
Throughout all this, I believe that drivers should always continue to develop their skills and actions regarding road safety. I believe that the government can have a better role in providing more accessible education to new drivers so that money can be less of a concern, promoting safety rather than business. Through my personal experiences and observations of the dangers of driving I ensure that I practice driving with the utmost safety and awareness on the road. I believe that by incorporating these practices, we can achieve a safer driving experience for all, reducing not just the amount of deaths and hardships for families but also creating a more enjoyable experience that may be relaxing. Driving remains to be one of if not the most dangerous thing we as humans do, and while it's not going away anytime soon it is best to do our parts to make driving safer for both ourselves and those around us.
Citations:L
Teen driver: The statistics and how to improve the odds -.. (n.d.).
https://saferide4kids.com/blog/teen-driving-stats/