Safety First

I have been driving since I was 15. I have been in two car accidents where no one was hurt (thank goodness) and where I was not a fault. My friends like to joke around and call me an “old lady” for driving slow or not taking yellow light. I honestly do not care because again, two car accidents in the 19 years that I have been driving. The reality is, I am not driving slowly, I am going the speed limit, and I am not taking yellow lights because I am following the rule to “slow down” because the light is about to turn red. My fear of taking a yellow light is because I do not want to hit someone who could be crossing the street. When I was 14 or 15, my best friend was hit by car while crossing the street as the light was turning yellow. Maybe he could have waited until he got the walking signal, but the car who hit him could have also slowed down when the light was yellow rather than speeding towards it to avoid the red light.

I live in Miami. A city where people really do not use turning signals, where the yellow light meets “speed up,” and where people cut you off if you are going the speed limit. This has become a joke in this city, but it is the reality. Driver education is important as it reduces deaths. My best friend could have died. Situations like this and death can be prevented by educating people about the consequences of neglecting the rules of the road. Acknowledging road signs is also critical. Constructions signs where roads are being fixed alert people to slow down while roads are being fixed and even while construction workers are active. Weather signs! In Miami, we never know when it is going to rain, so living in the sunshine state, a lot of people do not have all terrain tires. Being a safe and educated driver means that a person should be weary of the state of the roads to avoid an accident. Driver education also reminds people to not drink and drive. Miami is a city where partying is a part of the lifestyle and if you partake in this, there is a higher chance of driving home or to the next party, drunk. I am aware of programs that are in place for drunk driving, but driver education reminds people that not only can you possibly lose your license, but you or someone else can die.

To reduce the number of deaths, one step that can be taken is to retake a driver education course every 5 years. The average number of deaths each year is too high, so by ensuring that individuals still know the rules of the road and freshening up their skills, could work. Another step that could be taken is by monitoring peoples driving. Now, several car insurances are able to monitor how a person drives whether via their app or by installing a system to the car. I currently have Progressive, and I am allowing them to monitor my driving using their system called snapshot that takes into account how hard I break and how fast I am driving (even while making turns). In turn, the incentive is a lower car insurance payment after 6 months of monitoring. I believe that if this was applied across the board with incentives, without a time frame, the number of deaths can be reduced. The penalty could be a higher payment for a persons car insurance.

One of the times I was in a car accident, I was leaving a shopping plaza where I had to cross a lane to make a left. One must stop before making the left to make sure no cars are coming from the right. I looked, made sure I was cleared, and just when I thought I was in the clear, a driver rear-ended my car. At the time I was about 19 and it was my first car accident and so I called my father to help me because I was unsure of what to do. I explained to the driver that I was waiting for him to arrive to make any further decisions. The other driver explained to my father that he was rushing home because he was late for his daughters birthday. It sounded like he wanted us to feel bad, but this was the consequence of his own actions. Being on time to anything, means leaving early to avoid rushing. Due to that, we were caught in this predicament. In the end, the police came and he got his ticket.

As stated above, my friends call me an “old lady” for driving the way I do. But I am following the rules and the laws of the road. So, I will continue to do so and lead by example. I always tell them my reasoning though; I tell them that me driving means that I am responsible for the person or people in my car. They are entrusting me to get them from point A to point B safely and I intend to do that. However, I can do more than just that and continue to educate myself on the benefits of safe driving. To be honest, I have not picked up a driving manual since I got my license! I am not sure if any rules have changed either and writing this down makes me feel somewhat irresponsible. As for other drivers, if I am ever in a car with someone, I will mention if they are driving too fast (which I have) or be the second set of eyes and watch the road as well.