Safety Only Takes a Few Seconds

Safety Only Takes a Few Seconds

A year ago, a classmate of mine rolled off of the road with three people in a car, and died along with one of his sisters. Neither of them were wearing seatbelts. The other sister was the only one wearing a seatbelt, and is living today. This situation illustrates the importance of following driver safety, and how proper use could save lives and prevent tragic events. By following the proper driver safety steps, we can reduce the amount of deaths as a result of driving, and save lives.

As horrid as the death of my classmate was, incidents such as those are not uncommon. In 2018, almost 2,500 teens aged 13-19 were killed in motor vehicle accidents, and a staggering 285,000 were seriously injured. Many teens are only starting to drive, and need to be shown how to drive responsibly, and safely. One way that we can use better driving safety, would be to encourage teens to stay off of phones when driving. According to The National Safety Council, “…cell phone use leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.” Many deaths can be saved by just following some simple driving safety rules.

Pay attention. When I was 5, I was in a car crash. A driver ignored a stop sign and rammed into the side of my dad’s van, while he, myself, and my brother were driving home. I remember my dad shouting seconds before we crashed, and the suffocating dust that swirled around us after the crash. Thankfully no one died that day, although there were some injuries. Phones and other devices can divert your attention, and cause accidents. Paying attention to traffic signs is of immense importance and is crucial to driver’s safety. A good rule would be to place phones and other distractions in a box or in a glove compartment when driving. It IS illegal to text and drive, with The Motor Vehicle and Law of the Road 321.276 in Iowa stating that “A person shall not use a hand-held electronic communication device to write, send, or view an electronic message while driving a motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle is at a complete stop off the traveled portion of the roadway.” This is a pretty concise declaration that texting while driving is illegal, and I can’t really see much else that would need to be added, I only wish that more people would heed this law.

Avoid using while driving. Almost a quarter of all driving related deaths are caused by alcohol impairment. Despite this, people continue to drive while under the influence, when they could instead ask a friend to drive. Carol Galbicsek of the Alcohol Rehab Guide says that “even a small amount of alcohol can lead to harmful situations. Some drivers may not even show warning signs of being under the influence, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous. It’s important to remember that any form of drinking and driving is illegal and can come with strict punishment.”

Follow the speed limits. They aren’t suggestions, they’re to keep you safe. When speeding, it can be difficult and dangerous to turn or stop a car. Often turning while going too fast can spin the car out of control and end badly. This is especially prevalent in bad conditions such as ice and snow, since less traction makes it even harder to turn or slow, when coupled with high speeds. Signs and other cars are also hard to notice when driving at extreme speeds.

Wear seatbelts. Going back to the introduction, only a year ago a classmate of mine died in a car accident. He and a friend of his weren’t wearing seatbelts, and died when the car lurched off of the road and rolled over several times. I can’t be certain if they would have survived if they were wearing a seatbelt, but it definitely wouldn’t have hurt. According to the cdc, “Among drivers and front-seat passengers, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45% and cut the risk of injury by 50%.” Something as simply as wearing a seatbelt could save your life, and many others.

I hope in this paper I have conveyed the importance that driver safety plays in preventing motor vehicle deaths and injury. Driver safety isn’t very hard, and some acts such as putting on a seatbelt, or putting away a phone, only take seconds. Driver’s education helps in reducing the number of deaths and injuries as a result of driving, which can be prevented by the preceding steps to ensure driving safety.