What you Have to do to Drive Safely Essay - 1375 Words

What you Have to do to Drive Safely? (Essay Sample) Content: Name:Instructor:Course:Date: How to drive safe and what you have to do to drive safe Driving and more so, driving safely starts with the driver. In order for an individual to qualify as a driver, it is critical to pass through a driving school. The learner should be entrusted into the hands of a competitive instructor who imparts the skill on the driving student. Towards the end of the driving school, the student takes a driving examination to be able to qualify as a driver and receive a road license. Once on the road, safe driving is dependent on the drivers attitude and to some extent, the environment and weather conditions. A drivers environment comprises of other drivers with similar or different attitudes. The safety of a driving experience varies with the vehicle itself, the roads speed limit and the road type. For a safe drive, the vehicle must be road worthy. This means that it should be well maintained in terms of the engine condition, and also externally in terms of the tire conditions and the driving mirrors. Prior to taking the vehicle onto the road, it is critical for a driver to scrutinize several aspects. The driver must ensure the engine oil level is appropriate; the vehicle has enough fuel, and that various components such as the lights are in good working conditions. The tire pressure should also measure up to required standard as dicta6ed by the prevailing weather. Even when all this is said and done, numbers of accidents resulting in fatalities are on the rise. Research done into ways of improving the safety while driving faces hardships as a result of lack of funds. The policy makers contrast with the researchers resulting to a conflict of interest and, therefore, their recommendations never go through (Barnard 23). The question that remains is what policies need to be implemented to improve consciousness in driving population so as to enhance safety. Driving safely comprises of various components. The first one is driving competence. Not everyone can drive. This is why people go through a driving school to learn the skill. Failure to develop adequate skill in driving exposes the driver to danger as well as endangering the lives of other drivers, pedestrians and to self. Competency develops as a result of the ability of a driver to make independent decisions. These decisions are based on the drivers interest, the environment and the other traffic participants. This starts from changing the attitude that people have when learning to be drivers. From time past, the task of the driver involved following traffic rules and maintaining the vehicle under control. The current emphasis is on the role played by the driver behavior in regards to accidents, risk awareness and self-evaluation. Safe drivers, and therefore, competent ones are able to detect relevant mishaps in their driving environment in good time.in addition, they are able to anticipate situations rather than the response to stimuli. This abilit y is however limited. It is only through training and experience that drivers develop means of compensating for the cognitive limitations. A competent driver has the ability to anticipate how an event will turn out and therefore, ability to judge how to overcome the scenario. They also possess a pro-active mind that allows them to recognize and process information to help them in the driving task at hand. A new curricula, Goals for Driver Education, is available for both pre and post drivers. This curriculum is based entirely on increasing driver competence (Dorn 251). The other component in driving safely revolves around judgment. A good driver should have the ability to judge situations. This includes the distance before overtaking, safe breaking distance and the when to change lanes in a highway. Poor judgment has caused a lot of drivers lives not mentioning those of their counterparts. Most young drivers lack the judgmental perspective when on the wheel. Safety is recognized as a direct impediment to their mobility. Their reaction time is usually affected. The ability to judge situations depends heavily on the environment of the driver. The driving behavior of a teen depends mostly on role modeling. The behavior is influenced by how they see the parents driving. If the parent engages in misconduct, the young driver will most likely follow suit depending on the final effect. Speeding for teens is probably as a result of direct aping of their model parent (Dorn 10). Driving safely not only involves the individual driver, but other factors such as the policies in place. Safe driving involves understanding of the things that a driver ought to do and those that should not be done. Adherence to traffic rules is one of the safest ways to drive. Traffic rules outline the safe speed limits and other procedures to follow. They outline the various limits on speed in different road sections as well as the safe conduct on the road. Young drivers are usually enthusiasti c when on the roads. With parents on board, the drivers are patient and keen. However, when on their own, the drivers tend to drive beyond limits increasing their risk. Speed limits are set depending on the road properties. Some areas of the road have bends and grades while others are slippery. The other determinant is institutions. If a driver over-speeds in an area nearing a school, it is possible to overlook the chances of a pupil crossing the road resulting in an accident. Failure to judge the speed of the car in front while attempting overtaking may cause a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle on a one-way street. The same case applies when a driver fails to speed of the car in front resulting to a delay in breaking, and consequently ramming into its rear. Concentration on the road is important (Dorn 253). Overlooking need to flash indicator lights when taking a turn may confuse other drivers and result in a fatality. Disregard of rules such as drunken driving is another major cause of accidents. Alcohol disrupts sound judgment and reduces the drivers reaction time. Driving under alcohol influence or other drugs considerably increases risk of causing an accident. Rules on overtaking also act to protect the driver. On highways, it is prohibited to overtake a car in the middle lane. The use of safety devices promotes safety while driving. It is critical for a driver to strap in the safety belt in all situations. This protects the driver in case of an impact. When applying breaks in an emergency situation, the drivers belt restrains the driver from hitting the steering wheel. In accidents involving impacts, the steering wheel is a critical cause of fatalities. Another feature promoting safety in driving is the choice of vehicle. For people with less experience in driving, it is important to drive vehicles with a low center of gravity. Teenagers and youths should not be entrusted with sport utility vehicles since their high center of gravity can act to their disadvantage in responding to situations. When trying to avoid accidents, swerving may occur resulting to rolling (Transport research center 85). The weather is another critical aspect...