Why Most Drivers are Terrible

Stephen Matko

When I was in grade school, my parents always drove me to school. One day, in seventh grade, that drive became an accident that would change the course of my family’s life forever. Another driver completely disregarded a stop sign and ran right into the back driver’s side of the car. Because of the carelessness of another driver, my mom suffers through injuries even to this day, almost 5 years after the accident. It pains everyone in my family to see her suffer.

Education about proper driving methods and the negative effects of driving poorly can save many people from suffering. If people fully understood the consequences of bad driving, then they would be willing to become a better driver and prevent deadly accidents. Driving education could also continue into adulthood, by making adults with licenses take a mini test to brush up their knowledge every so often. This could be done when drivers go to renew their licenses. The driver’s test could also be made more rigorous, which would force hopeful drivers to really understand how to control a car and follow the laws.

Although education will solve many problems, there will still be accidents. To minimize these other accidents, we need to look at the main causes of car accidents. According to Elizabeth King at HuffPost, the three most common causes of accidents are distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. Distracted driving is the most common issue on this list, and it happens to almost all drivers. In addition, it is very difficult for law enforcement to enforce laws regarding distracted driving. Therefore, drivers must hold themselves accountable, and be aware of the risks they take when they do become distracted. This leads back to the importance of education, because drivers will not risk their lives to look at a silly text when they understand the chances of an accident. The second most common cause of accidents is drunk driving. Although I do not have experience in this area, it seems illogical to try to drive home while drunk instead of letting a sober friend drive you home. Again, educating drivers on the dangers of driving while intoxicated could help to solve this problem. The prevalence of apps like Lyft and Uber may also discourage people from driving while drunk. The final common cause of accidents is speeding. Speeding can be stopped by incorporating more speed cameras along highways, which will punish people for speeding through fines. Once people are punished enough for speeding, they will realize that it is not worth the dangers and the fines just to go a bit faster.

Finally, to improve my driving, I need to follow the guides and advice I gave here more rigorously. If I (or anyone else) am mindful of these ideas while driving, then I will be a better and safer driver.