Reducing Traffic Accidents

In the car next to you at a red light, a woman is distractedly checking her makeup in the mirror above her seat. Someone behind the wheel runs a red light because they’re in a hurry. When you pass a car because it was swerving on the freeway and glance over, the driver has his head bent to look at his phone. A man staggers into the driver’s seat drunk after a party, ready to drive back to his house. Another person is filming the road, singing along to the radio at sixty miles per hour for their social media followers to see.

These people might get away with it this time. They might arrive at their destination unharmed and on time, get home safe to greet their children.

They’re wrong. And what does it take for them to realize? Is it just a billboard telling them to focus on the road? Is it a dent on the side of their car when they pulled out of a parking spot incorrectly? Is it when their license is suspended? Is it when they have to go to the emergency room? Is it only when they’ve killed another person, when they’ve stood in front of a court charged with manslaughter while the deceased’s mother and wife and brother and best friend sob around a casket?

Or worse, is it never?

Some car accidents and subsequent deaths are caused simply by ignorance of the rules of the road. That is a problem with a ready solution: improve the curriculums of Driver’s Ed across the nation, implement more remedial courses after an accident or disciplinary action, and be sure to unequivocally impress every function of driving and the car upon the impending operator. However, crashes caused by distracted drivers are both often more fatal and harder to resolve- and there are millions per year.

To overall reduce the deaths that are associated with driving, multiple factors should be considered. Some have criticized the young age people are allowed to obtain a license (16), citing that the brain is not fully mature at that age and that younger people are more likely to drive recklessly or speed. A better public transportation system and infrastructure across America could reduce the number of people on the road and create a safer environment, as well as having a positive ecological effect, as less emissions will be issued as more people choose to ride on a single vehicle.

Driver education is undoubtedly invaluable at presenting the fundamental rules and safety precautions one should consider standard protocol while driving. However, it is not mandated in a standard way; people over 18 can get their license without it, and minors have a range of options, including taking it through a private driving school, with their parents through an online course, or through their public institution of education. A more systematized and regulatory way of imparting this information, one that forces students to be engaged with an experienced instructor and leaves no room for inattention, might be a good course of action. It would ensure that every driver gets the same information and that the importance of driving safely is successfully emphasized. Otherwise, this program should continue to be heavily employed, especially in the event that someone was involved in a non-fatal crash or stopped by a traffic authority and needs to be re-taught some aspects of driving.

Though I have been fortunate enough to never experience a car crash myself, I have witnessed my fair share- the injuries incurred are often very serious, can be lifelong, and have a sobering effect. And they are not the only thing sustained from incidents- there is a serious economic impact with totaled cars and insurance, and one can be made to go to court, causing an upheaval around one’s whole life. Driving irresponsibly only worsens these effects; one of my classmates was in a car crash while not wearing a seatbelt, and his leg is now covered in stark white scar tissue. I have also witnessed many instances of distracted driving, whether or not I was in the car, involving activities such as eating, calling or texting, looking at a map, and smoking. These behaviors are not only dangerous to the driver, but also jeopardize passengers and innocents on the road, and should be stopped lest they be terminal.

There are several steps we can all take to become better drivers and encourage safety on the road. The first is using all tools provided in the car, or merely going back to the basics that are taught in driver education. People that do not use turn signals while driving put themselves at a far higher risk to cause accidents than people that properly indicate their intentions. Additionally, stopping for the proper amount of time at stop signs, keeping an approved distance from other cars in traffic, and keeping both hands on the wheel rather than otherwise utilizing them are all actions that can prevent crashes. Paying attention is essential both in the classroom and on the road, and we should all drive mindful of those around us, the weather conditions, and any potential obstacles we could encounter. It is everyone’s obligation to drive responsibly at all times so that no needless and preventable damage, debt, or death occurs.