The Importance of Safe Driving

Alexa LoMonaco

Cell: 862-221-8984

Home: 973-692-0278

High School: DePaul Catholic High School, 1512 Alps Road, Wayne, NJ 07470

College: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755

Bio: I am a senior at DePaul Catholic High School, and President of the Student Council, President of the National Honor Society, and the captain of the varsity lacrosse and cheerleading teams. This fall, I will begin studying Government and Economics at Dartmouth College, with an intended career in law and politics. My goal is to help solve the world’s great challenges, and make it a better, smarter, kinder place.

Essay:

Car accidents can destroy lives. One year ago, on February 19, 2019, my friend, Luke, who I have been friends with since Kindergarten, his father, and a gas station attendant were killed by someone who drove while under the influence. The man driving was high on heroin laced with fentanyl and was completely delusional, even needing to be revived with Narcan following the crash. While driving, he sped up and drove off of the highway plowing into the gas station where my friend and his father were filling his car with gas. Little did they know that would be the last thing they would ever do. However, this tragedy was completely preventable…if only the man driving the car did not decide to drive while under the influence. Therefore, the cause of promoting safe driving is very important to me.

As the number of traffic fatalities increase, communities need to be doing more to prevent them. My school currently has a drivers ed program that thoroughly teaches students the rules of the road. The course goes over how to react to certain situations behind the wheel and regulations all drivers should know. Additionally, my state requires all drivers to pass a written test, get a permit, complete six hours of behind the wheel instruction, and then pass the driver’s test. This is called a graduated driver licensing program because all future drivers must go through certain phases before finally obtaining their license. This allows drivers to learn how to drive in increments, so they feel comfortable and ready when they actually get their license. In fact, “crash rates have declined 20–40% in states that have adopted graduated drivers licensing” (“Graduated Driver Licensing”).

Although my school and community have done so much to promote safe driving, there is still more that can be done. In other countries, public transportation is common and efficient. This mode of transportation is ten times safer than driving in a car and has other benefits including being better for the environment (Mackie). If my community used public transportation more regularly and made it more effective, the number of accidents would decrease. Also, when building new roads, the community should include more roundabouts and speedbumps. “Studies show an average 18% reduction in traffic volume and an average 13% reduction in collisions” when speedbumps were present (“Speedbump”). Furthermore, it may be wise to introduce a new program that would require all people with a driver’s license to retake their driver’s test every ten years when they need to update the picture on the license. This will ensure that people keep up their driving skills throughout their lives. In addition, “drugs other than alcohol are involved in about 18 percent of fatal car crashes. Drunken driving accounts for about a third of all traffic related deaths” (Kobler). Therefore, I believe a new Swedish-designed breathalyzer that can detect twelve different controlled substances should be built into every car when they are made. With this, the person needs to breathe into it to be sure that their blood is substance free. If it detects any kind of substance, the car will not start and the person will have to call for another ride or wait until they are no longer intoxicated. It is imperative that these are installed in all vehicles to prevent future crashes…I only wish it could have been done sooner, and maybe my friend, Luke, would still be alive.

Works Cited

“Graduated Driver Licensing.” Centers for Disease Control. 19 August 2016. Web.

<https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/gdl.html>.

Kobler, Jason. “New Breathalyzer Can Detect Marijuana, Cocaine, and Heroin.” US News. 25

April 2013. Web. <https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/04/25/new-breathalyzer- can-detect-marijuana-cocaine-heroin>.

“Speedbump.” Wikipedia. 11 April 2020. Web. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_bump>.

Mackie, Paul. “Transit is 10-times safer than driving – and makes communities safer, says new APTA report.” Mobility Lab. 8 September 2016. Web. <https://mobilitylab.org/201 6/09/08/transit-10-times-safer-driving-makes-communities-safer-says-new-apta-report>.