Safe Driving is the Best Driving

Have you ever gotten into a car accident? Were you caught by surprise? This was me. Earlier this year, right as I left my previous college’s campus someone ran a red light and hit my Lyft driver and I. It happened so fast. Afterwards, I was still in shock and couldn’t come to the realization of me experiencing my very first car accident. Thankfully, both of us were unharmed physically but mentally I was still shaken up by the incident. Later on, I immediately contacted my grandmother and mother because I just had to tell someone. They provided me with the comfort I needed. Their comforting, reassuring words allowed me to remain calm.

When I experienced my very first car crash it affected my view on driving entirely. I was having doubts about if I truly wanted to get my license. When the time came to practice for the very first time I made very minor mistakes due to my nerves. The accident left fear in me. I was nervous and anxious. When I tried to not show that I was “driving scared” I kept practicing and practicing and getting more and more comfortable. This resulted in me gaining my confidence and excitement back. My cousin, whom I was driving with, taught me to not let the fear I had from the accident hold me back from doing what I was passionate about. What I have learned from that experience is that in life things happen so quickly and even though we try to prepare for what’s to come, we never are fully prepared. Anything can happen at any given time. This is why it is important for us to live our lives to the fullest.

It is highly important to be educated about driving to reduce the amount of accidents that happen each year. According to www.iihs.org, in Maryland, there are 561 deaths resulting from car accidents each year. There are also 522 fatal crashes each year. Overall, in the U.S. on average there are over 6 million passenger car accidents. Car crashes are now the eighth leading cause of death globally for all age groups. We can reduce these numbers by practicing safe driving. What does safe driving look like you may ask? It first begins with you as the driver wearing your seatbelt at all times. If there are other passengers in the vehicle you would advise them to wear their seatbelts as well. Watching your speed is another important aspect of safe driving. When driving, you are not only watching how you’re driving but also others around you. This way, you are staying alert and while watching others you can then determine what your next steps will be. Another way to reduce the amount of deaths related to driving is by avoiding distracted driving. Distracted driving consists of using your phone, applying makeup, smoking, and any other activities that distracts you from focusing your eyes on the road. It is best to pull over or if there is a passenger with you, have them answer any texts or calls. Avoiding these actions are the first major step to being a safe driver.

Looking back to the accident I see that it was intentional for me to go through in order to realize that when we want something so badly it causes us to overlook what may be hiding behind what we want. For me, I was so eager to drive and have that independence and freedom that I overlooked what else comes with driving. Unsafe drivers, distracted drivers, etc. My experience opened my eyes to see that we live in the real world and you have to understand that what we may be so eagerly wanting has a backend to it. In my case, driving has accidents associated with it. We can’t change that, but what we can do as safe drivers is do what we know is right and continue to practice safe driving to prevent any other deaths.

The steps that I can take to be a better driver is to follow all of the basic rules, watching others, being alert and attentive, and overall using common sense. Driving is like any other skill we possess, it comes with tons of practice and effort. What many drivers fail to realize is that driving is a privilege, not a right. Like any other privilege it can be taken away in an instant. Driving responsibly can not only save your life, but it can save the lives around you.