Behind the Wheel

Driving a motorized vehicle is one of the most feeling-filled activities in the World. You are filled with excitement, stress, anxiety, eagerness, and more. When you first get behind the wheel, you feel a sense of freedom burst over you like a sail catching the wind in the sea. When behind the wheel for the first time, you aren’t the only one with emotions; parents, guardians, and family all worry about you. Driving isn’t the safest thing in the world. According to the Association For Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT), “More than 46,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways. The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants”. ASIRT also writes, “An additional 4.4 million are injured seriously enough to require medical attention”. Seeing these statistics, it is apparent something needs to change. In this essay, we will talk about and further understand the required safety on the road. Some points that I will discuss are; the importance of drivers education, steps to reduce the deaths of drivers, steps you can take to be a better and safer driver, and helping others become safer on the road.

Drivers education, a standardized course most teenagers partake in, helps in extreme measures when it comes to driving. These courses help with easing concerns. By educating young drivers on the ways of the road and defensive driving techniques, along with giving them the confidence they need to take the wheel, they get further prepared for public driving. These courses are held across America, giving all new drivers a feel for the rules of the road. There are two options for drivers education, online or in-person. The typical length of driver’s education is 15 hours, but if you partake in the online option, it is self-paced. After participating in the course, you significantly understand the rules of the road. Having this knowledge helps with overall safety on the road. It prevents both the young driver and the other drivers on the road feel safer. Ranked 11th in most caused deaths, vehicles can be very hazardous. Taking a drive education course increasingly helps with safety on the roads. If roads are safer, fewer deaths and more lives are saved. Driver education is one step toward saving lives, but there are many others.

Driving safety is vital; as discussed above, drivers-ed can help increase safety/security, but there are other ways too. Some key things to understand when driving are the sticky situations. Some examples would be: flashing yellow/red lights, roundabouts, pedestrians, and more. When encountering a flashing yellow, you should know the rule. You need to slow down and ensure the road is clear to proceed. Unlike a flashing yellow, flashing red, you need to slow down to a complete stop, check your surroundings for other vehicles, and move when the route is clear. Flashing lights can be confusing, same as roundabouts. Roundabouts are circular intersections where road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and the priority is to traffic already in the junction. When approaching a roundabout, you should slow down and yield. After yielding and seeing the coast is clear, you can proceed. The final tricky situation I will talk about is pedestrians. When driving, you need to know when the pedestrian has the right way. When approaching red lights, make sure you are stopping far enough away from the crosswalk to give these pedestrians an able walkway. Also, ensure you have your eyes on the road the entire time. Looking down to check your phone and sending a text risk your own life and the pedestrians.

Remember, you are not the only person on the road; others may struggle with rules or other distractions. Helping these disengaged drivers will help not only them but also those around them on the road. If teaching a young teen/adult to drive, you can use many tips. You can practice driving in empty parking lots, creating a sense of safety when the inexperienced driver gets on the road. Setting their phone away, so it is not a distraction will also help them improve. Taking away the distraction removes the chance of not being 100 percent locked in on driving. Another thing you can do with phones is turn do not disturb (DND) on so that no notifications or alerts go through. Some other procedures you can do to help young drivers are testing their knowledge at home, giving them a quiz, practicing rules on flashcards, and having them park on your driveway or street.

Even after all the safety practices and procedures, there is still the risk of injury or death. This number can be reduced/decreased like the other topics we discussed. Most injuries in car accidents are minor. Some of these minor injuries include concussion, whiplash, and bruising. Those injuries should still be looked at and taken care of, but at least the recipient is safe. In other cases, the injuries are much more severe. These are what we call major injuries. Some major injuries caused by car crashes are loss of limbs, becoming paralyzed, broken bones, neck injuries, and brain injuries. This damage can cause PTSD for the drivers and also their families. Car safety can prevent all these injuries and even fatalities. Some ways to avoid these results would be wearing a seatbelt, ensuring your seat is in the correct position, and making sure there are no free-roaming objects (such as sharp objects that could puncture through skin). Though these ways are not guaranteed to save you from injury or death, they have a better chance to.

In conclusion, there are many ways to prevent injury/death in vehicle crashes. Wearing your seatbelt and staying engaged when driving are your main ways to help with safety precautions. Having no distractions and helping those around you who may just have started driving can help. Lastly, knowing the rules of the road and attending a drivers education course can help keep the road safer for not just you but everyone.