Round 3
You can never be too safe - Drivers Ed Essay
Tiffanie Ting Li
Bayside, New York
Without a set of rules and regulations, how would a person handle the responsibility of operating a vehicle that is twice, if not three times heavier, and faster than a human? Driver’s education is essential, without this coming-of-age necessity, possibility of danger is eminent. First time drivers should be taught all functions of a car before attempting to drive, and driver’s education closes the gap of knowledge from a reckless driver to a safe driver by providing the training wheels. Driving instructors are equipped with cars that feature stop brakes on both the passenger and drivers side of their cars before an accident happens. From learning how to check your blind spots when you’re reversing and changing lanes, to understanding what each road sign represents, to even just being in a car for the first time, these rules of the road set the foundation of safety in our communities.
A main issue that our current society needs to adjust to is the increasing amount of distractions that are prevalent through the emergence of technology, An example of this would be our cell phones. With larger screens, notifications that constantly light up and play music, precautions such as turning on the “do not disturb” mode during a drive can alter the difference between life or death situations. Besides this, all drivers should follow basic guidelines such as not driving under the influence, as well as not driving too quickly, which can consequently cause unnecessary risk to the passenger and driver along with the surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.
Unfortunately, the topic of car accidents hits close to home. My mother was in a car accident around 10 years ago. She parked on the side of a busy street and left to run some errands. A drunken driver happened to be rushing around the corner and crash collided into her car, causing car parts to fly out and hit passerbys. Two children were fatally hit. She wasn’t able to tell me the full details. To this day, she still does not drive. One time, she told me that she was terrified of the power of cars and the irreversible damage they could cause. What if she was in the car at the time of the crash? The story hunts me to this day.
By taking a few extra steps, there are multiple ways to increase safety to our society. Drivers should look carefully before proceeding: double-checking their blind spots, wearing their seat belt, and adjusting their side and rear view mirrors to have a clear view of their surroundings can make a huge difference. Passengers should wear their seatbelts and lessen distractions for the driver by playing music at a comfortable volume, along with taking calls for the driver when necessary. Pedestrians should look both ways before crossing, and wear safety protection such as helmets and knee pads if they are practicing outdoor recreational activities in close proximity to vehicles. Everyone should learn the basic road signs and to increase the general understanding of rules of the road. By practicing these precautions, we can hopefully lower the number of car accidents per year and keep the community out of harm’s way.
A main issue that our current society needs to adjust to is the increasing amount of distractions that are prevalent through the emergence of technology, An example of this would be our cell phones. With larger screens, notifications that constantly light up and play music, precautions such as turning on the “do not disturb” mode during a drive can alter the difference between life or death situations. Besides this, all drivers should follow basic guidelines such as not driving under the influence, as well as not driving too quickly, which can consequently cause unnecessary risk to the passenger and driver along with the surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.
Unfortunately, the topic of car accidents hits close to home. My mother was in a car accident around 10 years ago. She parked on the side of a busy street and left to run some errands. A drunken driver happened to be rushing around the corner and crash collided into her car, causing car parts to fly out and hit passerbys. Two children were fatally hit. She wasn’t able to tell me the full details. To this day, she still does not drive. One time, she told me that she was terrified of the power of cars and the irreversible damage they could cause. What if she was in the car at the time of the crash? The story hunts me to this day.
By taking a few extra steps, there are multiple ways to increase safety to our society. Drivers should look carefully before proceeding: double-checking their blind spots, wearing their seat belt, and adjusting their side and rear view mirrors to have a clear view of their surroundings can make a huge difference. Passengers should wear their seatbelts and lessen distractions for the driver by playing music at a comfortable volume, along with taking calls for the driver when necessary. Pedestrians should look both ways before crossing, and wear safety protection such as helmets and knee pads if they are practicing outdoor recreational activities in close proximity to vehicles. Everyone should learn the basic road signs and to increase the general understanding of rules of the road. By practicing these precautions, we can hopefully lower the number of car accidents per year and keep the community out of harm’s way.
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