I have felt firsthand how important drivers' education is. Earlier this year, I was in a hit and run. I was going through an intersection (I had the right of way) when a car turning left swiped the front of my car and drove away. I was shaking like a leaf and completely terrified. Even though I was scared, I was able to remember what I learned in drivers education. I got out of the way of traffic and pulled over to the side of the road. I was able to call my parents and the police to help me fill out a report. If I hadn’t taken drivers education, I wouldn’t know what to do in that situation. I was able to get to safety and handle this stressful situation without a panic attack or meltdown. Drivers Education kept me safe in a dangerous situation and it can keep other people safe too. Drivers’ education can reduce accidents and deaths by informing and preparing people on what to do in high stress situations such as heavy traffic, inclement weather, and crashes.
Driving related accidents cause so many fatalities every year. My family has had many people that we love and care about die in violent car crashes and that is terrifying to me. Every time I drive, I could maybe not come home to my family and the people I love. If there was a way that we could bring down the number of driving fatalities, we as a society should absolutely do that. To reduce the number of deaths due to cars we need to keep requiring drivers' education especially for youth and new drivers. We should also offer refresher driver's ed. courses for those with lots of accidents on their personal record and when people renew their licenses Some of the worse drivers, I know are full grown adults who haven’t gone through drivers' education in 15+ years, so offering refresher courses can keep people safe and alive. My dad is a terrible driver, he doesn’t wear his seat belt that often, he speeds, he texts and drives, I have even seen him watch a baseball game and drive. Having him drive me is so scary! He definitely would benefit from a refresher drivers’ education course.
Another way to reduce deaths on the roads is to advocate about the dangers of distracted driving. When I was 8 my little sister’s best friend, who I’ll call Alice, was in a deadly car crash with her family. A cop was slowing down the freeway and Alice’s family was behind a semi-truck. The car behind them was on their phone and they didn’t realize the change in traffic until it was too late. The distracted driver hit Alices' car and pushed them into the semi-truck, killing 2 members of the family and their dog. Alice was in critical condition with severe brain bleeding. Luckily, she recovered but her life was forever changed because of distracted driving. Alice’s experience is not a stand-alone experience. In 2020 alone distracted driving took 3,142 lives. 3,142 families forever changed. 3,142 distracted drivers whose lives are altered. When I was in drivers' education my teacher had a watch a seminar all about distracted driving and I am so grateful I actually paid attention. Even though it was long it had valuable information about distracted driving. This information should be widespread and shared with everyone before they can drive or before they renew their license.
As the mom friend of my friend group, I am the designated driver. Whether we are just going to school or taking a day trip to the nearby lake, I am the driver. Because of this a lot of responsibility falls on my shoulders. The responsibility to keep my friends safe and alive is a big one. So, I take a few steps to keep them alive. 1) Before I start driving everyone in my car is wearing a seat belt. I don’t care how old the person I’m driving is, or how far we are going if you are in my car, you have a seat belt on. 2) I don’t touch my phone ever while driving. If I need to, I will ask the person that I’m driving to take care of it for me, and if I’m alone whoever is texting me is just going to have to wait. 3) I don’t drive recklessly. I stay within the speed limit and follow all traffic laws to keep me and my friends safe. I do these 3 things now and I pledge to keep doing them as a continue to drive.
In conclusion, as a society to make our roads safer and to prevent death we should keep requiring drivers' education and offer refresher courses for adults. We should also advocate for the risks of distracted driving. To keep me and others safe I will always wear my seat belt, and never drive distracted or recklessly.