Reducing Fatal Accidents

Driving education allows people to have knowledge about how it is to be behind the wheel. It provides people with all the traffic laws in the state the person wishes to drive. A person can know how to operate a car in different situations (“Does Taking”). Driving education provides people with a manual regarding traffic laws, signs, speed limits, and other car maneuvers. For example, in the manual a person can learn how to operate a car in icy or snowy conditions. These conditions are not always found on the road, but driving education helps a person to operate a car on the most ordinary days, such as sunny days. This allows drivers to have face-to-face experience by operating a car with an expert’s supervision. In this way, drivers will learn from possible mistakes by being corrected in the same moment the driver did the mistake. Driving education provides drivers with both theoretical and practical concepts about driving. The theoretical part involves, as mentioned above, the use of a manual or videos. This part allows drivers to know the concepts of speeding, consuming alcohol, when to do a right or left turn, among others. While the practical part, as its name implies, allows the driver to experience what he or she read in the manual. It can be that some of them may see and experience the consequences of speeding, such as losing the car’s control, while practicing how to drive. Driving education helps in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving, by allowing drivers to have as many experiences begin the wheel with a professional driver. This allows drivers to learn from their errors during their driving education. Little by little drivers will start gaining more knowledge and experience during their driving education. The experience gained then will be converted into confidence and security for the driver. Experience, driving knowledge, confidence and security will make a driver have less accidents, which sometimes lead to death. This is because they will mostly follow driving and speed laws. A drivers’ confidence and security will reduce their chances of making mistakes while driving. Sometimes, nervousness causes accidents, since the person’s mind is blocked and causes him to not handle the steering wheel, the accelerator, or the brake correctly. But still, people are humans, so we are not perfect beings and do not make mistakes. However, drivers should always follow some steps to reduce fatal accidents.

Before starting a drive, a driver should check his list of steps that can increase the chances of having a safe drive and reducing the chances of having a major accident. Some of the steps that need to be in this “special checklist” is to first make sure that the car is operating correctly. This involves the driver of being observant. The driver needs to check the tires to have the correct pressure. Also, to check if the wipers and brakes function correctly. This will reduce the chances of causing a fatal accident during a rainy day. This is because rain reduces the driver’s vision, and without functional wipers a driver cannot operate a car. And there are times that rain appears in the middle of a driver’s trip. So, by checking these things drivers can reduce any chance of causing an accident  during a rainy day that maybe was not expected. Another step on reducing fatal accidents is by making sure everyone in the car has their seatbelt on. Seatbelts can in fact save lives by preventing a person from being ejected from the car during a collision. It also prevents the person from having critical injuries during the collision. A person without a seatbelt is ejected with the same velocity that the car was going at the time of the collision. If the collision took place in a high speed road, then the ejected person will suffer from critical injuries if not death itself. Deaths are reduced by 45%, while critical injuries by 50% (“Policy Impact”). Another step at reducing fatal accidents is to always leave on time to your destination. When the driver rushes to go to his destination, they go over the speed limit. Leaving in a rush way can also cause the driver to feel despair and anger as he wishes to arrive at his destination as fast as possible. This despair and anger inside the driver can cause him to make wrong decisions such as changing lanes constantly, over speeding, and running more through yellow-red lights. Not driving while being intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs is another step at reducing fatal accidents. Having alcohol or other drugs in the blood can slow the driver’s reaction, impair his coordination, have violent reactions, and reduce their ability to make decisions (Vergnano). If the driver has consumed alcohol or drugs, such as medication or marijuana, then he needs to make the decision of not driving, and instead calling a taxi or a designated driver. The driver can also have another option of waiting until the effects of the alcohol or drugs have faded away. But if the driver does not really know the effect that alcohol or drugs have on his body, then it is better to wait for a designated driver. This is because it is better to be safe than sorry for causing an accident, such as my experience shows me.

Around ten years ago, my family and I had a car accident with a trailer truck. We were on our way to a cousin’s wedding, when in a curve a trailer truck crashed into us. Before the accident, my father decided to change lanes since in front was a trailer truck. My dad carefully changed lanes and we approached the curve at the same time the trailer truck did. But the problem was that the trailer truck opened wide, to the point of wanting to cover both lanes, when the curve was not that close for the truck to do such action. Thankfully, my father was able to react and let the trailer pass so that it didn’t completely crush us. But still, the trailer truck damaged our car. We noticed something was wrong with the truck’s driver when it did not care about the accident. My father reached the trailer truck in order to tell him to stop by pressing the horn, since the truck driver had just caused an accident. The truck driver did not stop and instead decided to chase us by speeding. My father did not have any other choice than to speed too, since the truck driver was just accelerating with no intention of braking. If my father would have followed the legal speed, then the trailer would have crushed us. This is because if my father changed lanes, the driver of the trailer would follow him. When we reached a tollbooth, we received help from some police officers by stopping the trailer truck. When the driver got out of his trailer truck, we knew something was wrong. He was drugged, probably by marijuana. Apparently, this drug caused him to slow his reaction, impair his coordination, and have violent reactions. Thankfully this event was not a critical accident, and I know it was all thanks to my dad’s reaction and good control of the car. But sometimes I wonder what could have happened if my dad was not able to react in time. For this reason, every time I drive I remind myself to always take my steps in becoming a better driver.

The steps I can take in order to become a better driver is to always have my seatbelt on and make sure others in the car have it too. Check regularly that my car is functioning correctly. While driving I will never go beyond the legal speed. If there are cars behind me wanting to go faster, then whenever possible I will change lanes. This will help prevent having the car tailing me from crashing into me, or by not increasing his anger or despair of wanting to drive faster. Another step is to always park in a safe and legal place whenever I need to send a message or make a call. This will prevent me from making any mistakes of wanting to use the cellphone while driving. Also, whenever I consume alcohol, I will not drive, even if my friends are pushing me to do it. I prefer to lose my friendship with them, than putting my friends, myself and other people at risk. So, I will contact a designated driver in this situation.

Having zero fatal accidents is impossible. We are humans, which means we are not perfect and we make mistakes. But there is the opportunity to reduce the number of fatal accidents. All can start by educating ourselves before putting ourselves behind the wheel. Driving education provides drivers with theoretical and practical knowledge. It allows you to gain experience, confidence and security. Such things allow the driver to maneuver a car correctly and safely. But getting out of driving school does not mean you are an expert now and will not make mistakes. There are some steps that every driver should follow such as checking that your vehicle is functioning properly, to check that everyone in the car has seat belts, to not rush into our destination, and not drive if you have consumed alcohol or drugs. These steps increase the driver’s safety on the road, as well as other driver’s safety. It also decreases the chances of a person or family having bad experiences on the road. So, lets all arrive at our destination safely.

Works Cited

“Policy Impact: Seat Belts.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention.www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/seatbeltbrief/index.html.

Vergnano, Mark P. “How Do We Prevent Motor Vehicle Deaths?” National Safety Council, 18 February 2019, www.nsc.org/safety-first-blog/how-do-we-prevent-motor-vehicle-deaths-.