Preventing Driver Deaths

The dangers of driving are vast, yet so many fail to adhere to basic driver safety, resulting in dangerous and deadly situations. However, many preventative and discouragement methods can be taken to make the roads a safer place and reduce the number of deaths on the road.

Driver’s education courses can only go so far in discouraging reckless driving. They may warn against the risks of making certain decisions while on the road or show videos of families who lost a child due to driving, but these only go so far, especially in a young person’s mind. Thankfully, driver’s education courses also give advice for what to do if you have made a bad decision while driving, to either correct it or reduce the damage done from it. For example, if you realize you are driving way too fast, do not slam on the brakes; let your car coast back to a normal speed, or else you risk a wreck behind you or slipping if conditions are bad. Always have your seatbelt secure and your airbags on in case of a wreck, and keep emergency supplies in your car in case of a breakdown or accident. Extra tips like these recognize that people will make dumb decisions while driving but do their best to potentially prevent a death.

Driver’s education, however, could potentially go a step further by increasing the variety of experiences people receive in behind-the-wheel training. Online programs give explanations for how to handle more extreme weather conditions while driving, but many do not get to experience it until after they have gotten their license. In riskier situations, people panic; without first-hand experience, they may make deadly mistakes. Driver’s education could help remedy this by requiring at least one drive with an instructor to be in “extreme weather conditions” – rain, snow, ice, etc. While driver’s ed warns against driving in harsher conditions if preventable, it does not do much hands-on to prepare a driver for this. One lesson in less-than-ideal conditions would better prepare people for the road and help to decrease the number of wrecks caused by poor conditions and decision-making.

A greater police presence can help to discourage reckless behavior on the road; however, not every town has the resources available for this. Signs warning against the fines and dangers of reckless driving serve to discourage some, but in areas where there is not much, if any, of a police presence, it is easy for people to make reckless decisions. Something like speed limit signs with police lights can help to discourage this behavior; the sensor picks up a person’s speed limit and flashes police lights at them. While people will eventually figure out that the sign is not an actual police car, the fear of getting caught has been put into them; most will now make an effort to drive safer. Overall, informing people of the consequences – both physical and monetary – helps discourage most reckless driving. While it cannot be completely prevented, increased measures like these make roads overall safer.

I was in three car accidents before I turned a year old; none of them were my parents’ faults, but it is frightening to think how many stupid decisions people make on the road every day. We were very fortunate that none of the accidents were major, thanks to living in an urban area with plenty of warning signs and police presence, but this is not the case in all areas. I also have a great uncle who was killed in a car crash; he was in a more rural area when it happened, meaning much less warning was around to discourage the driver. Perhaps if simple things like light-up speed limit signs were present, he could still be alive.

I have made my own dumb decisions on the road, as well, and I regret them, looking back and seeing what I could have done. I was pulled over once for speeding. I was angry at the time, since most everyone was speeding on that road, but the officer let me off with a warning. Not long after, a fatal accident occurred right around the area I was pulled over. I realized then that the officer, besides just doing his job, was looking out for the community, especially young kids like me. I could have easily been the other person involved in that wreck.

Although it cannot prevent every accident, steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths while driving. Encourage your friends and family to drive safer; petition for speed limit signs on rural roads; do your part to keep yourself and your community safe.