Driving Safety

Life is mysterious. It throws unexpected curve balls at you. One day you could be living the dream where everything is going right and the next day a horrible disaster could ruin your day or your life and the days to come. Disease, war, and accidents are all whirlwinds that alter the world and the people that live in it. Humans all have feelings and will all have ways to treat situations. There aren’t many ways to stop diseases from breaching the world. Not many ways where you can stop a war from happening. However, reducing accidents, especially car accidents, is a thing everyone can help change.

Drivers Ed for all new drivers wasn’t most people’s favorites from waking up for a four-hour class that started at 8am all to get your license when you could already drive with an adult. However, in that class you learn everything from how to drive and the safety of the car to all the rules and regulations you must follow as a citizen in the state you live in. Driving education is important due to the knowledge one gains. I remember in driving school our instructor asked what’s the highest speed limit on the interstate in Ohio thinking why does this matter and someone said, “90 mph. Or at least I drive that fast” and my instructor looked astonished by this. Later he explained, “the fastest the law allows you to go is 70 mph for everyone’s safety.” You learn about drugs and alcohol and how it can alter your brain ability and capability of making decisions on your own. The outcome of these decisions and going behind the wheel are cruel. Highway fatalities have decreased some from 2005 where over 40,000 a year to 2011 where around 30,000 deaths. However, this number of deaths for 365 days is unreal. The Korean War took place over a three-year time and had 33,686 deaths which is smaller than U.S. highway fatalities in 2005 alone. Not many drivers are aware of these facts and with educated drivers, more will become safer and understand the losses that could happen in your life from one moment while driving or being on the road. With educated drivers and being safer, the number of deaths would lower after knowing you can make a change in the world and help it become a safer place for new drivers and old.

Cautiously driving isn’t something most think and do. Everyone drives to get from Point A to Point B and doesn’t care about the time in between which is regularly on the road. Paying attention and focusing on the drive rather than thinking about the place you will go will help reduce accidents and keep safer. Steps that can be taken could be higher speeding tickets for those driving recklessly. The more money that gets taken away from you, the safer you will drive. The speed limit is there for a reason, and I know I speed and having to drive 30 minutes to get to work and home makes me want to go fast. With a changed mindset the drive could be relaxing, not forceful. Improving the amount of speed limit signs and digital signs that show your speed makes people slow down. Speaking from experience, law enforcement put one in my neighborhood where people were going 40 mph in the 25 mph but, not anymore. On the 55 mph highway roads, increase the speed during the day. Everyone goes 70 mph in 55 mph zone anyways unless there’s traffic so might as well increase it. This would maintain the smooth-flowing of cars with less traffic which will then decrease accidents. Another way to help reduce accidents is to create more divided highways and not where people are entering the highway about the same time there’s an exit. That causes standstill traffic and accidents where some are trying to merge on the highway where people are going fast, and some are slowing down trying to exit. Insurance companies and safe driving apps would be useful where the better you drive the more money you get off car insurance. I know this is a thing because I have State Farms, however, I know many people don’t care too much about being on the phone and the speeding part since you are getting money off anyways. To reduce the number of deaths, insurance and car companies need to post these apps and deliver them to the correct audience like having a commercial on TV.

Personally, I have caused a car accident and it was from being in a rush at a light and being impatient and rear ending the car in front of me. Lucky nothing bad happened since it was when the light just turned green, and I went before he left off the gas going 5 mph. However, my father drives irresponsibly sometimes. He is always in a rush and gets so close to the back of people’s cars and recognizes it. He’s rearended people a few number of times due to being in a rush trying to get from Point A to Point B.

Steps can be taken since reducing the number of accidents is a thing anyone can help with by paying close attention while driving and being a helpful passenger. Getting rid of distractions which includes phone use and not driving blaring music will help me and others become safer on the road. Also, when I am a passenger in the car I can help watch the road and help the driver in any way for no distraction. Being more patient is a thing I can take away and be better at.

It is time for change. Expect the unexpected. You can help stop accidents, so do it. Driving is more dangerous and deadly in the U.S. than being involved in war. There are consequences for your actions and if you aren’t being safe you need to accept them. Everyone needs to be safer so take your life in to account when you are in a car and driving.