Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Driver education and awareness is the number one way to prevent accidents and deaths due to irresponsible driving. When everyone takes driving courses, there is a consensus among drivers about the rules of the road, which leads to smoother traffic and less accidents. A lot of the time, accidents occur simply because there is a lack of understanding common road rules. With an increase in emphasis on safe and distracted free driving in driver’s education courses, students are beginning to understand the dangers of distracted driving and becoming more and more aware of the bad habits that they have while driving, and how to combat them.

The first step that can be taken to reduce the number of accidents and deaths related to driving is an understanding of just how dangerous driving can be. An increase in education on the severity of texting while driving, drinking while driving, driving under the influence of depressants that decrease response times, and many more, can show new drivers the severity of irresponsible decisions, not just for themselves, but for other innocent lives. In reference to texting while driving, the “Do Not Disturb” function that is on many smartphones is a great tool to combat texting and driving. This function makes it so that no texts or notifications come through while the driver is driving, making the temptation to check phones while driving decrease, and distracted driving accidents and deaths decrease.

I have been in a couple car accidents over my lifetime, but the one that had the greatest impact on me was when my grandma was hit from the side by a driver switching lanes without properly checking their blind spots. I feel that the lack of attention brought to simple actions that are taught for safety is a huge contributor to accidents. While I was in driver’s ed, I was taught the acronym SMOG (Signal, Mirror, Over the shoulder, Go) for anytime the car moves horizontally, whether that’s changing lanes, or entering a turn lane. This is a technique that I use, even if there is no way for a car to be in my blind spot when entering a newly created turn lane. I feel that when it comes to driving, being overly cautious is the only way to truly be sure of ensuring that no accidents are occurring because of your driving.

Steps that I can take to be a better driver is to be proactive instead of reactive. I can focus more on other cars around me instead of focusing on just my car, to try to be proactive in avoiding accidents, even if they aren’t caused by me driving. Driving is more than just trying to prevent accidents from occurring on your end, but because there are so many drivers out there who occasionally make mistakes while driving, it is important that drivers are aware of other drivers and have a plan on what to do, before the accident occurs. I can also continue to keep distractions away from me when I am driving, whether that is a certain kind of music that could take my attention off the road, or my phone, I can continue to drive with a hundred percent of my focus on the road in front of me.