Life Changing Choices

Traffic crashes often prove to be fatal, and they are often preventable. Most traffic crashes involving fatalities will more often than not involve impaired driving, excessive speed, inattentiveness, or lack of seatbelt usage. All of these factors are based on human choices. One must choose to drink alcohol or partake in drug usage before entering the driving seat. People choose to make sure they get that last text message sent before they look back at the road. Everyone has been guilty a time or two when it comes to going just a little bit too fast when they are late. Yet, the most surprising choice of all is the choice to not wear a seatbelt. Studies have shown repeatedly over the years that simply wearing a seatbelt dramatically increases your likelihood of survival in a major crash.

From a young age, we were told about seatbelts. Even as a toddler, one remembers their Mom or Dad buckling them into their child safety seat in the family car. It is engrained in our minds that when people get into a car to put on a seatbelt. As we grow older, does anyone actually educate us on why we wear our seatbelts? Would more teenage or young adult drivers be more intentional with their seatbelt usage if someone explained to them the concept of a major crash? Seatbelts not only secure you in one location in the vehicle directly behind the safety of the airbag, but more importantly they prevent ejection. This is an important topic that should be covered in driver education schools. Not only that all passengers should where their seatbelt, but why they should wear their seatbelt.

One of the most effective methods in reducing traffic fatalities is the strategic use of law enforcement in areas of major traffic flow, especially areas with a history of major crashes. No one likes to get a ticket and even fewer people want to go to jail for drunk driving. Law enforcement presence, ticket enforcement, and DWI enforcement are all proven methods to reducing fatal crashes. Everyone has “that town” where they are from that you know if you speed even 3 mph over the speed limit, the local officer will stop you and write you a ticket. While it is a pain getting a ticket, these areas will have more cautious drivers and a substantially lower risk of major crashes. When there is fear of consequence people naturally tend to drive better. Whereas in areas of heavy traffic flow where law enforcement is scarce, and it is less likely you may receive a citation for anything, people will tend to let their guard down and drive carelessly. Teaming up with Law Enforcement is a majorly effective tool in reducing traffic fatalities.

Another important factor that improves people’s chances of safely arriving home is the environment that they drive on. In most states, there is a Department of Transportation organization of some sort that is responsible for the upkeep of the roads. They manage the pavement, signage, traffic lights, painted lines or marks in the road, and a multitude of other important things. These things can make a large difference in how people drive around others. For example, faded white dashed lines in the roadway make it very difficult to know if you are maintaining your lane. A poorly calibrated red light system could cause a “t-bone” crash at major intersections. Thanks to these organizations these types of things are managed and improved so that the quality of life is improved for all who choose to travel on our countries roads. Yearly, these organizations analyze traffic crash reports, which highlight areas of concern where something may need to be fixed or better managed. Bringing more funding to these organizations coupled with strong administrative leadership, could really assist in the overall goal of reducing traffic fatalities.

Living in a large metropolitan area, I see reckless and dangerous driving regularly. The interstates around my home are crowded with people speeding, texting, and sometimes just weaving in and out of traffic. While we all would love to catch up to these people and tell them how dangerous we think they are driving, the best practice we can partake in is defensive driving. We can’t change the world for everyone else, but we can always make sure our vehicle and our family Is the safest car on the road. If someone Is driving recklessly or aggressively around you, you can immediately create space, and distance your vehicle from theirs. Getting in their way will often time make the problem worse. If a driver is too out of control, you can always contact local law enforcement to hopefully dispatch an officer to the area to handle the situation.

In conclusion, traffic fatalities are something that we as humans will probably always deal with. Likely the yearly number will never be down to zero however, there are steps we can take to lower it more and more each year. By educating our children and young drivers, refraining from driving while impaired, recklessly, or inattentively, and always wearing our seatbelts, we can make a difference in the world for countless families, including our own. No one ever wants to hear that late night knock on the door of a State Trooper, making a death notification to a family who should have never lost their loved one. Through education, law enforcement action, and support from our transportation departments, we can all work together to make a difference. What choice will you make today?