The Importance of Safe Driving

In the US, you can get your driver's license at 16. Many teenagers see this as a major milestone. Once you get your license, you are "free", so to speak. You can officially go to parties and drive your friends to the mall. And although driving is very exciting, it can also be very dangerous. Many people don’t realize how important safe driving is to themselves and the people around them. In 2018, the number of deaths from car accidents was estimated at 40,000. To help prevent these accidents, new drivers under the age of 18 are required to take a drivers education course, which includes class instruction and driving with an instructor. Drivers education is a very important way to teach teenagers how to drive. The instructor is able to explain what to do in certain situations and correct the driver if they do something wrong. This instruction helps prepare them for driving by themselves and reduces risk of injury or death due to an accident. Although this course is offered, it isn't required for people who are 18 or older. This means that anyone over 18 who has had their permit for six months can walk in and hope to get lucky enough to pass the driver's exam. This allows people who shouldn't be driving to be on the roads and risk both their lives and the lives of those around them. 

Unfortunately, I have seen multiple people get into a car accident. I lost my grandfather because a car accident and I have a friend who got their license suspended after his car crash. Even going about your normal business, you can see and hear about accidents and pile ups all the time. To become a safe driver isn't very hard and anyone can do it. You need to always go the speed limit, respect assured clear distance, and if you're questioning whether or not you should do something or have time to do it, don't do it. I follow these simple rules and my driving record is spotless. If you follow these rules too, you could save your own life, the lives of loved ones in the vehicle with you, and the lives of the people in the vehicles around you. If you respect the driving laws, they will respect you.