Steering Towards Safety: The Road to Responsible Driving

Education is crucial, especially the driver’s education. I was thrilled to finally learn how to drive on my 16th birthday. My parents insisted on enrolling me in a driver’s education course, warning me that I couldn’t drive without it. The course taught me valuable defensive driving skills and how to anticipate other road users. I’m grateful for the knowledge and skills I gained from that course. One of the key lessons from a driving course was to listen to your intuition and avoid driving if you’re not feeling well. This includes being tired, not confident after drinking, or any other situation that makes you doubt your abilities. Some vehicles provide reminders to stop driving on long-distance trips every 4 hours. This feature is helpful because sometimes you don’t realize how tired you are when you are driving long distances until you end up falling asleep or veering into the ditch. Daily practice of these skills is essential, as many road users lack basic driving knowledge and rules. I see it daily during my commute to work on I-95. Most people aren’t fully awake in the morning and don’t know the right lane is usually the slower lane or exit lane. Driving under the speed limit across all lanes causes congestion and accidents. I’ve seen people miss exits and react alarmingly. Just this week, a semi-truck completely stopped in the middle of a six-lane section of I-95 because it had missed its exit. I witnessed it cross three lanes to exit the freeway. The safest option is to continue to the next exit and find a safe place to turn around or adjust your route. Be mindful of highway announcements. They warn us of accidents, upcoming hazards, and congestion so we can prepare for them. I’ve seen notifications of a mattress, unhinged trailers, and other debris on the road and road closures due to serious accidents which I have been able to avoid due to the highway announcements.

Everyone should have Bluetooth in their car for hands-free calls to reduce driving-related deaths. Many commuters use their phones and having both hands on the wheel provides better control. Texters can connect their phones to the dashboard for audible text reading and response. This simple feature significantly contributes to safer driving. How many times have we heard on the news about people not paying attention to the vehicles in front of them and causing serious accidents? My grandfather always said that even listening to the radio was a distraction when you are driving. Now we have self-driven features on their vehicles, and I’ve seen people not paying attention to the traffic while using this feature. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported nearly 400 crashes involving automated driving systems over a 10-month period. Another study by the University of Central Florida found that most of these accidents occurred between dawn and dusk, and while making turns. Insurance companies offer safe driving discounts that reward those who are safe drivers. These discounts are usually app-based and provide safety features like phone restrictions and destination alerts. Points earned based on driving and phone usage contribute to savings on your car insurance. I use this driving app occasionally to improve my driving skills. It evaluates my phone handling, hands-free calling, handheld calling, and harsh braking. I’m guilty of frequent hands-free calling therefore, I’m making a conscious effort to listen to music or podcasts instead of talking to someone every time I drive. I’ve improved and only called one friend during my long commute.

I’ve been in several car accidents, but one stands out. I was coming home from a girls’ night out when a drunk driver hit me from behind at a red light and took off. I was shaken and upset because I’d just got the car three days earlier. I blamed myself for not avoiding it, but there was nothing I could have done. Sadly, there was nothing the officers could do either since it was a hit-and-run and I wasn’t able to provide them with the license plate number. I think most accidents happen from rear-end collisions. Ever since that accident, I’ve invested in front and rear dash cams. They turn on when the car starts and captures everything that is happening. If I’m in another accident, I can send the license plate number to my insurance company. Having dash cams is also useful not only for you, but to help somebody else on the road. If an accident occurs in front of you, your dash cam can provide crucial video evidence that helps establish what happened. This can be invaluable during insurance claims or legal proceedings.

Everyone should practice safe driving. Practice driving safely by using hands-free features or learning to drive safely if your car lacks them. Get enough sleep and feel refreshed before driving. Practice saving incentives while driving safely. Talk to your insurance company to see how you can qualify. You’ll improve your driving skills and achieve your goals. If you miss an exit on the highway, breathe and continue to the next exit to find a safe place to turn around or adjust your route. If you know someone who doesn’t practice safe driving, talk to them. Let them know you want to arrive alive. Offer them alternatives to distractions during their commute. If you can help them adopt safe driving practices, that’s a bonus. Safe driving is a shared responsibility that has wide-reaching implications for individuals and society as a whole. Everyone has a role to play in creating a safer driving environment, and by practicing safe driving habits, we can collectively reduce accidents, save lives, and ensure that our roads are safer for all users. It requires commitment, awareness, and respect for both the rules of the road and fellow road users.