Ideas for Better Road Safety

Drivers ed is vital to reducing the number of deaths due to driving. I remember in my driving classes I learned about fatal accidents, and when you learn that at the young ages of 14, 15 and 16, it is ingrained in your brain that even though driving is a great skill to have, it is actually very dangerous. When I was learning to drive I attended classroom classes where I would learn everything about driving; it was a 3-day long program for 8 hours a day. I also took a 3-day long driving camp, where instructors taught us how to drive. This was an expensive program, and I know not everyone can afford it. But I feel that programs like these need to be more accessible to everyone, no matter a family’s income. These classes, along with hours of driving with my parents, prepared me really well for real world driving and I think that in-depth experience would increase road safety.

One major, and obvious, step that can be taken to reduce the number of driving related deaths is to put your phone down and never text. I am not sure about androids, but iPhones have a “Do Not Disturb” setting that you can turn on and set it so that when your phone connects to your car’s bluetooth, you will not receive any texts until you park and the person who texted you will receive a notification that you are driving. I myself use this setting, and it is very beneficial. And if someone does not have bluetooth capability in their car, they can still turn the regular “Do Not Disturb” setting on, it just won’t send a notification to people texting you. Another step to be taken is to remind young drivers to not always get comfortable. What I mean by that is to always keep your head on a swivel, turn your head when you’re changing lanes even if you have looked in your mirrors, because blind spots can cause problems.

I have never been in a car accident. I have seen my friends text and drive before. I have also seen my family drive fast and get into situations that make me nervous. Ultimately we have always gotten from point A to point B safely. Even though I have never been in an actual accident, I have had close encounters. Once because I had to check my phone map because I was unsure of where I was. But a couple other times were because someone came out of nowhere, and that is why you can never be too careful. Young drivers should learn that you should triple check, and even quadruple check, especially when there is busy traffic or it is nighttime.

For myself to become a better, safer driver, I have really tried to keep my phone locked on the “Do Not Disturb.” Even if I want to hear a different song over my bluetooth, I withhold myself unless I am stopped because I know 110% of my attention needs to be focused on the road in front of and around me. I always use my turn signals as well. Some people don’t on busy roads and that is such a pet peeve of mine. That would prevent so many accidents.