Defensive Driving is a Duty

Defensive Driving is a Duty

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, about 1.35 million people in the world die in road crashes each year. Approximately 38,000 people die from road crashes each year in the United States alone. A common reason for many of these tragic accidents is lack of education. A better driving education can make a driver develop better basic motor skills, but also help them make smarter decisions at the spur of the moment. Being on the road with hundreds of other cars a day is incredibly dangerous and the thing that every driver needs to know is how to be defensive. It’s different learning about traffic rules and regulations and then driving around a few miles with an instructor, than it is being on the interstate when you’re in the car all alone and in rush hour traffic (while it’s raining). These situations are high risk because you don’t have control of what other drivers might do. When driving you need to know how to avoid obstacles and see potential threats before they come upon you. One step that could be taken to reduce the number of deaths from driving is take your time. If you have to get somewhere and you know it will take a while, leave an hour before to give yourself plenty of time. You never know what you might run into. Another step that could be taken is to eliminate all distractions (i.e texting, putting on makeup, listening to music, talking to friends, etc.) It is important that you realize all these things can wait until you have arrived at your destination. These are things that I think should be pressed more firmly on people who are first learning to drive, along with the basics of how to work the wheel, knowing traffic signs, and abiding by the laws. I also think that drivers ed should be required for everyone no matter how old you are. It is offered to high school students before they turn 18, but if you wait too long you can just go to the DMV and get your license right away, without any special preparation. I have only experienced one car accident and luckily it was not nearly as bad as it could’ve been. My mom was driving and we were stopped behind another car at a traffic light. We were trying to read a sign on the side of the road and since we weren’t paying attention we started rolling forwards and rear ended the car in front of us. It wasn’t anything too major but it could have easily been avoided if we weren’t distracted from the road. There are numerous things that could happen on the road, it could be the craziest coincidence but you have to be ready that way you don’t put yourself or anyone else in harm’s way. Being a safe driver is a duty and responsibility to being a good citizen.