Drive to Save a Life

Drive
to Save a Life by Kynslei Sims

“About
4.4 million people were injured seriously enough to require medical
attention in crashes last year {in 2019},” states the National
Safety Council. This figure shows the current need for safer driving
in America. Maximizing safety and caution needs to be the main
priority of every driver. Drivers ed, patience, and leadership
all aid in reducing automobile fatalities and helping others become
safer drivers.

To
begin, drivers ed is important in reducing the death toll
because it focuses on teenagers. This teaching provides proper
instruction from licensed driver instructors. These trainers have
taken classes to help drivers make smarter and legal driving choices.
Teens are the most unexperienced and most reckless age group. They
need that guidance from instructors while in cars made specifically
for mistakes. The passenger brake in some drivers ed cars helps
the new drivers be less nervous allowing them to focus stronger. This
behavior produces safe habits that they can pass along.

Patience
is another behavioral trait that can help everyone on the roads. The
U.S. Department of Transportation reported in 2019 that the main
driving behavior involved in driving fatalities was “driving too
fast for conditions or in excess of posted limit or racing.” This
fact is proof that speeding kills. Being patient would be the easiest
step in slowing everyone’s speed. If the driver is patient, this
could lead to self-control and relaxation causing less wrecks. These
steps can all help lower the number of deaths.

Lastly,
leadership can be a big step to correct this national problem.
Parents lead their teenagers and show them how to drive. I know this
lack of leadership personally. For example, my mother has tried to
multitask while driving like many parents. She tries to text or
google while driving. This type of irresponsible driving has taught
me what not to do, but not all teenagers decide to learn from their
parent’s bad habits. Irresponsible driving can only be overcome
when the driver decides to be a leader. Everyone can do their part to
be a leader including me.

I
can take many steps to make the roads safer for myself and others. I
need to be sure to be fully focused while driving. Turning my phone
off, keeping the radio volume low, and looking straight ahead at all
times are small things I can do to make sure I make it to my
destination safely. These tips can turn into advice to others to help
them be safer also. Additionally, anytime I am in the car with an
irresponsible driver I can remind them of how costly their actions
could be.

Overall,
the number of deaths due to driving can be brought down significantly
with everyone taking part. Driving can still be fun and safe. People
do not always realize the consequences of their actions, but if
everyone would take leadership and have some patience, we could save
lives on the road.