The Third Deadliest Killer of Americans

Drivers ed Initiative Award: In the Driver’s Seat

John Michael Gomez Nuez

06/23/20

The Third Deadliest Killer of Americans

Americans often view drivers ed as something of little importance, yet many Americans don’t know that it’s also the third leading cause of deaths in the United States. Although drivers ed is looked at as insignificant, it’s important to follow safe driving rules that could result in an injury or potential death.

To begin, drivers ed is of huge importance in the United States since it’s the third leading cause of American deaths. If Americans heeded the rules from drivers ed, the amount of lives lost per year could drastically change. For example, the groups that is most affected by unintentional deaths (mostly from car accidents) are Americans age 10-24 (at 40.6 %) and age 25-44 (at 34.6%). This proves that a huge section of the American society is affected by accidents. Those age 10-24 are almost at a 50% chance of dying in a car accident. Drivers ed needs to be held in higher regards in order to fight the statistics and change those numbers. It’s unacceptable to let irresponsibility take away a great amount of people away from their family and friends.

Yet, in order to reduce the amount of deaths resulting from driving, Americans need to passionately focus on drivers ed. For instance, most americans use their cars to commute to school or work in an everyday setting which results in an immeasurable amount of cars on the road, thus, raising the chance of an accidental injury (or death) to occur, unless we always remember and follow drivers ed rules. A great example of drivers ed would be defensive driving. If parents were constantly beleaguing their children over defensive driving and their children listened, their 40.6% chance of dying in an unintentional accident would be drastically reduced. I’ve often been in the car with friends who like to drive fast, or constantly switch lanes, etc just for the rush. This sort of thinking is what leads to the myriad of accidents in the United States. Americans age 10-24+ should recognize that a car isn’t a toy but a powerful responsibility, strong enough to potentially take a life away.

Moreover, I could become a better driver by keeping my eyes on the road. I find myself eating while driving or constantly shuffling between songs while driving. Even though it seems harmless, distracted driving could lead to an accident. Therefore, by keeping my eyes and focus on the road I’d be able to proactively be a better driver for those around me. Also, in order to become a safer and better driver people need to simply slow down. Not everything has to be in a rush, time is precious but so is life. If people were just to slow down and constantly be aware of their surroundings/check their mirrors, then they’d become better drivers for themselves and those around them. Lastly, driving under the influence should never be an option. Not only do you risk your own life but so many others as well. The roads would be much safer if people in the United States would order a taxi or uber instead of driving under the influence and endangering others.

In conclusion, even though drivers ed is looked at as insignificant or pointless, following the rules from it could protect you from getting injured or potentially killed. Americans need to actively reduce the amount of accidents that their children or friends get into by educating them on what could happen when laws are broken.