Safer Roads

Life is very sacred, but it can be snatched from you in mere milliseconds on the road. Driving is a very serious task. It is vital that everyone be prepared for the responsibilities of the task. Even though driving is a normal, everyday task, it is very dangerous and requires lots of attentiveness and patience. When you drive, you hold the safety of more than just you in your hand. So much happens on the road that we all need to be cognizant of everything around you. The lack of awareness increases the levels of danger on the road. On average, 6 millions car crashes happen a year and over 38 thousand people die from those accidents. In states like Texas, California, Georgia, and Florida specifically, there have been a very high amount of yearly crashes, making roads more threatening to children, and elderly. Being a driver you are also entrusted with the responsibility to help your family and friends along with strangers to get to their destinations. Therefore, being a negligent driver puts all those on the road at risk. Simple mistakes can be incredibly detrimental to the lives of all of those on the road. A crash can leave people in life threatening situations or induce significant injuries that can completely change their lives. If a person is not killed in a car accident, they can put people in a catatonic state leaving people immobile and unresponsive, cripple them or cause serious brain damage. Personally I have seen the effect of a car accident on someone in my family. It stripped my uncle of the chance to live a complete life. He walks around with mild paralysis on his left side and slight brain damage, all of which are very serious injuries that can be sustained by driving. These unfortunate events show the seriousness of driving. Being a safe and cautious driver makes the roads safer for all so that everyone can return home at the end of the day. This is especially true for newer drivers, car accidents are the leading cause of death in the US for children ages 16 to 19. All of this is a result of many different circumstances, but mainly lack of experience. Car accidents also can have consequences to the cities we live in. The CDC has had to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on medical costs and loss of productivity in the last decade alone. This further shows the seriousness of driving, which is an area we need to continue to improve on. From 2017 to 2019 we have taken a step in the right direction, there has been at least a 4% decrease in the amount of fatalities caused by driving. This success illustrates why it is so essential that we further preach the seriousness of driving safely. We want to keep our roads safe, and families safer.