The importance of driver education lies in its ability to teach drivers about safe driving practices and provide opportunities for them to apply these skills, thereby helping to prevent accidents. It teaches a driver all the rules about the roads, in hopes that they will practice and follow safe driving practices. The benefits are that driver education improves safety, teaches essential skills, and reduces risks. It provides new drivers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to practice driving responsibly. It teaches drivers how to not only operate a vehicle but also how to recognize and follow traffic laws, signs, and signals. With a new driver being informed on how to operate a vehicle, it could lead to fewer accidents because being able to learn how to use the brake, turn signals, and accelerator could help them learn how to handle dangerous situations. Being able to recognize and obey these road signs can help potentially save their life and others because knowing the rules of the right of way and intersections helps improve traffic safety and keeps traffic organized. Driver education teaches new drivers essential skills such as how to operate a vehicle and also how to handle any dangerous situations. This is important for new drivers to be educated about because these essential skills could help prevent any accidents. This is because it teaches a driver all the basic driving rules, such as right of way, maintaining a safe following distance, parking, parallel parking, checking mirrors, how to use blind spots, adjusting for weather conditions, mastering highways, etc. Knowing how to follow these basic driving rules is crucial for safety, not only for the driver but also for pedestrians and other road users. The steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving are not using your phone while driving. This includes texting, calling, and or scrolling. We can also not drink and drive. This includes drinking while driving or even drinking beforehand. So, this means driving sober all the time. We can avoid any distractions such as arguing, eating, and talking to other passengers. This means we have to keep our eyes on the road and have our hands on the wheel all the time. This is because the task of driving doesn’t allow for any distractions. After all, it is a task that needs our undivided attention. So, we need to focus solely on driving when we are out behind the wheel. We can also wear a seatbelt and stay in our seats at all times to avoid any accidents while driving. 

Yes, I have experience being in a car accident. I have been in two car accidents in my life, one of them was when I was really little, so I don’t remember that too well. But I am going to recount the details of when I was in a car accident the second time. This happened back in 2017. I was about 12-13 years old, and I was riding in the passenger seat. My mother was behind the wheel and all my sisters were also in the passenger's seat, so there were in total of 6 people in the car. I remember a car bumping into my mom’s car from the back of us. I first didn’t know we got in a car accident because it was just a slight bump, and I didn’t suffer any injuries; as a matter of fact, I felt fine. I started to realize it was an accident when I saw my mom crying uncontrollably, paired with the fact that our car was severely damaged from the back. I can’t speak for my sisters, but I think that my mom was the only one who felt the impact of the car accident since she was sitting in the driver's seat. And also after it happened, she was the only one admitted to the hospital.  She was fine, thankfully, but I felt guilty because I didn’t feel anything from the car accident like she did, and also, I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, so it was surprising that I didn’t feel anything from the car accident. 

I saw some of my family members driving irresponsibly. This includes my sister, my mom, and my dad. My mom would eat and use her phone while driving. Since she would be on her phone while driving, she wouldn’t keep her eyes on the road all the time. My sister will also eat and use her phone while driving. But, she would constantly be distracted when driving, like she would talk to her children in the back of the car and play loud music, which can distract her when driving because she wouldn’t be able to hear the ongoing traffic. I would also see her have an AirPod in her ear. And one time I saw her drive after having a few drinks. My dad would use his phone while driving and also eat. 

The steps I can take to become a better and safer driver are to wear my seatbelts, keep my eyes on the road, and avoid all distractions. This includes talking, listening to music, and using my phone. This is because all these activities would take my eyes off the road and wouldn’t allow me to see or hear the ongoing traffic.  

I can help others become safer on the road by encouraging them to wear their seatbelts and not use their phone while driving. I could tell them the risks if they don’t follow these basic driving rules. I could also tell them this not only protects their lives at risk but also the passengers they are driving with. I could tell the importance of why they should follow these basic driving rules. I can lead by example, hoping that not only they would follow but also the passengers.