Why being safe matters
2026 Driver Education Round 2
Brett Richmond
Grafton, WI
Driving is an important part of people's everyday life, we all use cars for our everyday work commutes, school, appointments, and many more. Driving is also very quick and easy for us to, but with that blessing always comes a curse. A car is a very powerful machine that can cause serious injury or death in the blink of an eye. People forget this though because driving is such a normal part of peoples daily routines. Because of this safety should always be a top priority when driving, no matter how far of a commute it is, or how good of a driver you think you are.
One of the biggest reasons why safety should be a top priority is because deadly accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. Even the best drivers cannot predict everything that can happen on the road, a car or pedestrian can come out of nowhere leaving no room for braking, or getting out of the way leading to a deadly crash. Also weather conditions can change in the blink of an eye, you never know when it will downpour leading to slippery roads, or when a patch of black ice will pop up in the winter time, because of this it is also very important to follow the speed limit, some drivers including me are tempted to speed because they are running late or they feel like they can handle it, this is a bad idea though because you never know when someone will unexpectedly brake or swerve into your lane, and when you are speeding it is a lot harder to brake in time.
Avoiding distractions is also a very big part of driving, modern technology such as phones has made distracted driving a lot more prominent because people could receive a text or a call when driving, and our brains are wired to pick up the phone when we are getting a notification, even though it seems like this will only take a couple seconds, those couple of seconds could be the difference between life and death, if you absolutely need to pick up the phone it is a lot safer to pull over and attend to whatever it is.
Finally safe driving requires making smart decisions before getting in the car, many many people driver under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. This is a very bad choice as not only is it illegal and can land you in jail, but drugs and alcohol impair your reaction time and judgement, which is essential to driving. Every 15 minutes in the United States someone is killed or injured in a crash related to drinking and driving, which is an absurd number.
Driving safely also is knowing that being in a rush is not an excuse to make unsafe maneuvers behind the wheel, someone might speed 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit because they feel like they are going to be late, make unsafe passes past another vehicle because they are impatient, however doing this is a bad idea because in reality it doesn't shave off much time, you are better off driving the speed limit and being safe than driving way over the speed limit putting everybody at risk. Also if you get pulled over going over the speed limit it will take up a lot of time and you have to pay a fine.
Seat belts are also a very simple but important part of driving, what seems like a flimsy uncomfortable strap is one of the most important, some people think that just because they are going a short distance they don't need to put on a seat belt but crashes can happen anywhere at anytime, and seat belts are the best way to protect against car crashes, seat belts can be the difference between life and death in a car crash. What might be a small crash with minor injuries with a seatbelt, can be a life threatening crash without the seatbelt.
In conclusion safety should always come first when driving because even the smallest choice can have major consequences, staying focused, following traffic laws, wearing seat belts, and making good choices before driving are all very good choices to make to avoid danger and reduce risk of getting in trouble with the law or losing your life. Driving is more than controlling a vehicle and getting to work, it is a privilege and responsibility that can save lives. And in the end the goal of every commute shouldn't just be getting from point a to point b, but getting there safely.
One of the biggest reasons why safety should be a top priority is because deadly accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. Even the best drivers cannot predict everything that can happen on the road, a car or pedestrian can come out of nowhere leaving no room for braking, or getting out of the way leading to a deadly crash. Also weather conditions can change in the blink of an eye, you never know when it will downpour leading to slippery roads, or when a patch of black ice will pop up in the winter time, because of this it is also very important to follow the speed limit, some drivers including me are tempted to speed because they are running late or they feel like they can handle it, this is a bad idea though because you never know when someone will unexpectedly brake or swerve into your lane, and when you are speeding it is a lot harder to brake in time.
Avoiding distractions is also a very big part of driving, modern technology such as phones has made distracted driving a lot more prominent because people could receive a text or a call when driving, and our brains are wired to pick up the phone when we are getting a notification, even though it seems like this will only take a couple seconds, those couple of seconds could be the difference between life and death, if you absolutely need to pick up the phone it is a lot safer to pull over and attend to whatever it is.
Finally safe driving requires making smart decisions before getting in the car, many many people driver under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. This is a very bad choice as not only is it illegal and can land you in jail, but drugs and alcohol impair your reaction time and judgement, which is essential to driving. Every 15 minutes in the United States someone is killed or injured in a crash related to drinking and driving, which is an absurd number.
Driving safely also is knowing that being in a rush is not an excuse to make unsafe maneuvers behind the wheel, someone might speed 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit because they feel like they are going to be late, make unsafe passes past another vehicle because they are impatient, however doing this is a bad idea because in reality it doesn't shave off much time, you are better off driving the speed limit and being safe than driving way over the speed limit putting everybody at risk. Also if you get pulled over going over the speed limit it will take up a lot of time and you have to pay a fine.
Seat belts are also a very simple but important part of driving, what seems like a flimsy uncomfortable strap is one of the most important, some people think that just because they are going a short distance they don't need to put on a seat belt but crashes can happen anywhere at anytime, and seat belts are the best way to protect against car crashes, seat belts can be the difference between life and death in a car crash. What might be a small crash with minor injuries with a seatbelt, can be a life threatening crash without the seatbelt.
In conclusion safety should always come first when driving because even the smallest choice can have major consequences, staying focused, following traffic laws, wearing seat belts, and making good choices before driving are all very good choices to make to avoid danger and reduce risk of getting in trouble with the law or losing your life. Driving is more than controlling a vehicle and getting to work, it is a privilege and responsibility that can save lives. And in the end the goal of every commute shouldn't just be getting from point a to point b, but getting there safely.
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