Why Safe Driving Matters

Most people do not understand how important driver education is. People normally roll their eyes when they have to do it or they think it's pointless and that driving should be common sense. When you are a driver you have a responsibility on the road. You get the joy of freedom but that comes with needing to be responsible, respectful and safe whenever behind the wheel. In driver education teens learn the effects of reckless, and dangerous driving, that could be from texting while driving, speeding or driving under the influence because most new drivers often do not realize the statistics of death rates due to unsafe driving. New drivers also have to get enough hours behind the wheel before driving which is one of the most crucial parts of learning to drive but also the most important part because it gives new drivers real world examples but with the safety of having an experienced driver for help. Drivers ed also teaches teenagers how to read different warning signs on the road and what to do in important situations that could happen while driving. On average 42,939 people die each year from reckless driving. This is why people need to know the steps and tips to avoid an accident. When you are a new driver you should try to avoid driving at night. When driving at night lots of people don’t look out for other people, animals or warning signs because they think it doesn’t matter if there's not a lot of people on the road but really you need to look out even more. One of the most important tips is to develop the right attitude about driving because if you are in a bad mood you are not going to be focusing on your driving as much or you will be driving recklessly and could end up hurting someone. If you don’t feel like you can give driving 100% your focus you should not be driving . Some people will drive even if they feel tired but that is a very bad thing to do. There is a chance that you could fall asleep at the wheel because you are not fully there or that you could doze off which could cause you to move into another lane unwillingly or you could hit a car. Another important tip is to train for poor weather conditions. Lots of people don’t know how to drive in different weather conditions and that causes over 80% of those deaths alone. You need to make sure you know what to do when driving in different weather conditions than you normally do. You need to make sure you know how to move the wheel if hydroplaning or sliding on ice. To make that easier you need to drive in those weather conditions so you get the proper experience. A tip that people all know but lots of them don’t follow is being on the phone while driving. Driving with the phone in your hand is very illegal and has caused over 3,000 deaths alone. People think that because all the new cars have such advanced technology in them that going on their phone shouldn’t matter when in reality it matters the most. Just because no one is around or you think you're good at multitasking does not mean that you are capable of driving while on your phone. Drunk driving is the reason that most people die from road accidents. You need to always make sure you have a designated driver because even if you feel okay you are not okay. I personally have never experienced anyone close to me being in a car accident from unsafe driving but once I was driving on the highway and this car right in front of me got hit because a car that was merging was zooming down the road. Driving past that accident and seeing the car in the ditch while the other car on top of it still gives me chills to think about. That image has been stuck in my brain since and it always reminds me to go the appropriate speed for wherever I’m driving and to look out for other drivers that could be doing unsafe things. I do not want to be the reason that someone has to get a call that their loved one has died from a reckless driver. I hope you wouldn't want to be that person either. People need to remember that they are not the only people on the road and they need to always drive safely and respectfully for the people around them.