Driving Safe

Driving is an essential part of our everyday lives, but comes with a serious risk of danger that isn’t always considered by drivers, experienced or new alike. Drivers ed is very important to inform all drivers about the consequences that can arise from dangerous driving. It is every vehicle operator’s responsibility to make the roads safe for others, and being educated can play a huge role in lowering the number of deaths associated with driving. For instance, texting and driving causes 391,000 car accident injuries yearly, and 1.6 million crashes yearly. That is an insanely large amount, and these numbers can be lowered if these statistics were more known and taken seriously. So many people never think that an accident can occur in such a small amount of time, but the roads require constant vigilance and one second is all it takes for a serious accident to happen. Negligence is a common cause of vehicle accidents, and being informed about the repercussions can significantly reduce the number of deaths related to driving. I have seen many instances where my close friends were negligent drivers and created dangerous situations for us and others. Whether it was speeding while the roads were slick with rain, driving unnecessarily fast on freeway ramps, to even scrolling through social media with only a knee on the wheel to steer (a very confusing choice to make might I add), drivers can feel “skillful” enough to multitask and this overconfidence can lead to a rude awakening when an accident happens. Now, whenever I am in these situations, I make sure to kindly let whoever is driving me know that I do not feel comfortable with them engaging in such risky behavior, and that it endangers our lives (along with the others on the road). Additionally, when I am driving I always remind myself that my life is valuable and not worth endangering over something that can wait until I am done driving. A single careless decision can lead to many bad consequences, none of which are in your favour, so it’s important to be mindful of that. There are many options for drivers to take to make roads safer. For instance, putting my phone on silent mode really helps me stay focused on the road, and stops distractions. Also knowing what triggers distractions is helpful to minimize these and create an environment that will allow drivers to get to their destination safely. For example, the radio is a major distraction, and setting it before a drive or putting a shuffle of your favorite songs can minimize the need to fiddle with your music and become distracted. Wearing comfortable attire, eating after or before a drive, and not putting makeup on while trying to watch the road simultaneously (a surprisingly common phenomenon I see almost every morning) can reduce distractions. All of this information should be considered by drivers before and after they get on the road, and while we can’t control others, we can always try our best to make the roads safe and if everybody contributes to this, our efforts will pay off in the future and driving will be a much safer experience for all.