We all have gone through a specific course known as “Driver’s Training.” The requirements we need before taking our first drive on our own. We needed to drive a certain amount of hours, pass two classes that both took a few weeks to complete, and pass the state driving test that really decided if we were ready or not to finally hit the road. Driver’s training is an incredibly important course that we continue to use our whole lives. The amount of rules that have been put in place when driving is too many to just have a conversation about. These rules are here because if not there would be more fatal deaths than there are today. Having an educated idea of why we have these rules helps kids to truly understand that they are important and if not followed, consequences will be there. That’s why driver’s training is mandatory. But these rules don’t stop people from breaking them on a regular basis. That’s why there are so many crash related deaths in our world today, but that number can go down if we follow the rules. As drivers no matter what age, we all can work on following the rules more closely and having a distraction free drive each time we are in the driver’s seat. It doesn’t take much for our eyes to wander away from the road and before you know it we are almost off the road and in the ditch.
I started driver’s training when I was fifteen years old and currently I am nineteen. Soon I will have five years of experience under my belt but that’s not much. I’ve been in situations where I could’ve driven better and they're have been times where I’ve witnessed crashes. I’ve been in scary situations and times that I don’t ever want to repeat. I live in Michigan and so the snow is very prevalent and dangerous. When we would have snow days I always wanted to go out and do something rather than be stuck at home, but my mom wouldn’t let us and now I understand why. I’ve seen more crashes in the winter than in the summer only because of the snow. I’ve been in the ditch before because of the snow, and I’ve seen other people in the ditch. Nothing compares to the idea of not having enough time to break though. In the winter the snow and ice make it impossible to break and you have to think about breaking earlier than later. I’ve almost been in an instance where I rear ended someone because I was breaking too late. Many pile ups are caused because of the snow and not breaking soon enough. Even if you don’t live in Michigan there can be other seasonal effects on the roads like fog, water, and even breaks in the roads that make it impossible to cross.
Leading into the idea of how we can better our driving abilities to limit crashes, I think we first need to look into where we live and the seasonal conditions that are present in that area. For example, knowing that I live in Michigan is a sign that there is snow in the winter. I need to be mindful when driving in the winter to protect myself and others. Another thing that we should consider when we’re talking about safety is to think about others. When I first started driver's training I didn’t think about the idea that I need to think about others in a different way than just letting them go when it’s their turn at a stop sign. An example could be giving the person ahead of you more space for their safety and if anyone were to rear end you, you could save the possibility of crashing into the person in front of you. It’s not always possible but you can plan ahead to help others even when they’re not thinking about it. One more thing that can we can do personally when becoming safer drivers is limiting the distractions. Now, we don’t always have control over certain distractions like people’s decisions in the back seat, but one thing we could limit is the usage of our phones. In this day and age some states even ban having a phone in your hand, otherwise you’re breaking the law. While some people have thoughts about this I do believe it’s important that we limit the use of our phones while driving. Another thing we could limit is our music and how high it’s turned up. I will fall short of this because it’s nice sometimes to have louder music on a drive home from work. But it can be a distraction at times especially with someone else in the car.
The final thing that I want to touch on is how to help others become safer drivers. Besides driver’s training, we can encourage others to have their eyes on the road, with limited distractions. When your friend needs GPS and goes to grab their phone, you can offer to them that you can take it and put it in for them, same goes for music. If someone is making poor choices while driving like drinking, which is illegal, offer to drive for them so that there aren’t bigger problems in the future.
Knowing all of this from what is the importance of driver’s training, to how can we reduce the amount of deaths due to car crashes, to how can we collectively as a society be better drivers on the road, all of these things matter and it’s important that we take these steps to prevent fewer fatal crashes. I know that when you put yourself on the road you are approaching what could be a dangerous experience. But just know that there are fewer chances of that happening to you, so take these steps and ideas to better your drives in the future.