Name: Sydney Shelton
From: allendale, Michigan
Votes: 0
“On
average nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year”,
according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel.
Sadly, this isn’t what the average driver thinks about when they
step into their vehicle every day. So many driving related deaths
happen every year that could have been easily prevented. A few steps
to reduce the amount of car related deaths would be driving without
distractions, obeying the speed limit, and making sure everyone is
buckled up.
I
know so many people who don’t automatically buckle their seatbelt
as soon as they get in a car. Seatbelts were made for a reason, to
keep passengers safe in case of an accident. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration reported, “that
of
the 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 47% were
not wearing seat belts”. Not wearing a seatbelt especially in the
front seat puts you at a much higher risk of being ejected from the
car in even the smallest car accident. Wearing a seat belt can make
sure you’re secured in the car and reduce the amount of injuries in
case of an accident.
Another
step in reducing car related deaths would be driving the speed limit.
When you speed, you’re not only putting yourself, but other drivers
on the road in danger as well. Speed limits are made to enhance
safety on the road. If people took the time to slow down and follow
the speed limit this could prevent many injuries and deaths related
to driving.
Lastly,
a major step in preventing car related deaths would be to limit all
distractions when driving. Many people nowadays have a cellphone
which is a huge distraction when driving. Teens and adults have made
the mistake of picking up the phone while driving which can be very
dangerous. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use
while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Making sure
your phone is put out of reach when driving can reduce the amount of
crashes and prevent deaths.
Overall,
reducing distraction while driving, obeying the speed limit, and
buckling up can be easy steps to reduce the amount of car related
deaths each year. I have been in a small car accident from being a
distracted driver and it was one of the most frightening moments of
my life. I have now learned from my mistakes and each day I promise
to be a safe driver for myself and those around me.
