Thousands of Deaths can easily be Prevented.

Everyone is afraid of heights, robbery, clowns, and spiders. However, a part of our culture that is fundamental for society to run is one of the most dangerous actions to exist: driving. In a blink, your car could drift. In a blink, your car could smash into another car. In a blink, your life could be over. Despite these chilling facts, simple acts of safety can eliminate driving deaths. Education and application are two broad steps that diminish the danger of driving.

I am privileged to have never experienced a car accident, but I have heard many stories about devastating incidents. My dad’s cousin crashed his car due to irresponsible driving. He was driving too fast. There was a girl in the car, and she died. He went to prison. His irresponsible driving killed a person and destroyed the lives of her loved ones. His irresponsible driving ruined his life. On that night, if he would have followed basic safety precautions, the girl would have still been alive. Her loved ones would be spared the sadness, and his life would hold promise. Many deaths result from situations like these, so the following steps can be made to eliminate such deaths.

Driver education is vital to ensure the reduction of driving deaths. Ignorance is the greatest cause of such deaths. People do not realize the importance of safe driving; if a tragedy does not happen to them, the tragedy does not exist. Therefore, car crashes are an imaginary concept that only happens to the unlucky. Education enlightens. Education about driving safely and the devastating prevalence of car crashes unavoidably drills reality into a person’s mind. Fear is the greatest motivator, so people should be educated on the destruction that unsafe driving causes. For instance, if you tell someone that 1.3 million deaths are caused by car crashes, they are less inclined to drive erratically due to that lingering statistic in their mind. They realize the fear that driving should cause; their resulting safe driving reflects this fear.

Education and application are essential steps for driving safely. Education conveys the importance of driving safety, and application demonstrates this importance. Application is the key act of safety. Application is focusing on the road, eliminating distractions. Distractions can include phones, the temptation of the masses. Phones must be turned off and put away to avoid disturbance. Passengers are quiet to ensure absolute focus; their talking could distract the driver and cause dangerous swerving and inattentive driving. The radio should not be used by the driver. Changing a station could cost a life. A preferred song is not worth dying for. Drivers must be vigilant; they must check their rear-view mirrors and be aware of everything around them at all times. They must track the cars around them. The simple act of changing lanes could be detrimental if a driver does not know their surroundings. Watching vigilantly helps a driver escape these possible dangers.

Using a seatbelt is a basic concept that everyone is familiar with. However, familiarity with this concept is what creates carelessness. People hear about the vitality of using a seatbelt so often that they eventually cease their practices. This carelessness is what kills people. According to the CDC, in the case of a car crash, the use of a seat belt reduces the risk of death by 45%. The mere three seconds it takes to effortlessly buckle a seat belt saves lives.

Driving safety does not only center around the act of driving. Before driving the car, drivers must ensure that the car is in acceptable condition. They should check the brakes, oil, signals, and tires. Mirrors should be angled in the correct position to ensure that the driver can see their surroundings. In the case of night driving, drivers should verify their headlights are working. If any of these factors are faulty, driving safety is demolished. Before driving, a driver must ensure they are in an appropriate state. Intoxication and exhaustion are dangerous states of mind that end lives. Drivers must have the epitome of attentiveness; intoxication, exhaustion, and similar characteristics endanger this vital attentiveness.

These steps will minimize driving deaths. Education and action can drastically reduce driving deaths. Knowledge is said to be the greatest gift, and in this case, it truly is. By educating the public about driving dangers and simple acts that prevent calamitous crashes, driving deaths will be minimized. The simple act of focusing on the road rather than distractions can save lives. Many things in our world are feared, but driving should be at the top of the list.