Social Distance Your Car Like You’re Social Distancing Yourself

Social Distance Your Car Like You’re Social Distancing Yourself

Emily Hoan Ly

As a student driver myself, I’ve seen numerous New York City drivers not following driving safety precautions such as cutting my car off, not implementing the 3 second rule, not stopping fully at stop signs, going over city speed limits, running a red light, not yielding to pedestrians, texting while driving and more. As of 2018, the United States has seen a total of 36,560 deaths due to fatal vehicle collisions, all of which could have been prevented, if the drivers in each fatal situation received driver safety education (n.d.). It frightens me every time I am in my driver ed’s classes, having to constantly watch out for careless drivers out there. After going through the five hour class required after a permit, I’ve questioned other driver’s ability to drive safely. The same individuals who carelessly drove, also took this course. So, what’s making them put other people’s lives, including themselves, in danger? That, I can’t answer for myself. But there are ways of watching out for these careless drivers and avoiding their mistakes.

The most significant methods in reducing the number of deaths related to driving would be to mandate drivers to take yearly written exams that would take 30 minutes to complete, answering short answer questions related to driver safety, as well as passenger safety. The drivers would also be required to attend driver safety workshops once every six months, in which they would be required to watch videos on previous car accidents, and have an instructor speak to them about driving precautions.

My aunt in California had gotten into a car accident that resulted in her having to get surgery. Her procedure required a piece of metal to be placed in her leg. After that day, she was scarred for life, and constantly had traumatic flashbacks whenever she sat in a car again. Luckily, she was able to live from the car accident. However, in many other cases, the drivers and passengers weren’t as lucky. The other driver was on their phone while driving on the road, while my aunt was also on her phone with someone. My older cousins were also involved in car accidents where the other drivers skipped red traffic lights, and my cousins didn’t wear seatbelts.

In order to be a better and safer driver as well as aid others in driving safer on the road, you need to be cautious, alert, and attentive. Watch out for other drivers around you. Other driver’s actions may ultimately impact you consequently. Follow the three second rule, block out all distractions, look at all of your mirrors interchangeably, drive at speed limit, and most importantly, wear your seatbelts. Don’t be like my cousins, having to learn it the hard way. Preventative actions can be taken into consideration once you step on the gas pedals.

Fatality Facts 2018: State by state. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/state-by-state#fn1ref1