Educate, Plan, Protect: Ways to Stop Driving-Related Accidents

“I’m a safe driver, but I’ll sometimes check my phone.”

Those are the words of someone who doesn’t understand the impact of the simple act of checking your phone while driving. It just takes one poorly timed glance at your phone to ruin someone’s life. It doesn’t matter that you don’t do it often; it’s the fact that you even do it at all. Actions as small as that are what cause devastating and everlasting damage to others’ lives. All it takes is spending one second too long reading a text message or one slight lapse in judgement while under the influence. Driving comes with the responsibility of knowing the rules of the road, following them, and keeping yourself and others safe. There’s no room for the “it’s just this one time” excuse. All drivers must keep all distractions away from themselves; be responsible and know when to call an uber, read that text later, or call a sober friend to drive you home; call out friends and family that drive distracted or under the influence; and make sure they fully understand the rules of the road.

At upmost importance is having every driver be comfortable with the expectations of driving, which will automatically decrease deaths related to driving. Drivers ed is a valuable tool, because there’s an experienced driver present to guide you through the learning process. Driver’s ed gives you plenty of practice to quell any fears or doubts you may have and boosts your confidence in your abilities. You have more experience driving before you even go out on the road on your own. Driving is terrifying for some when they first start, because they understand the immense responsibility coupled with this privilege. As understandable as this fear is, however, it can still translate into poor driving. For example, you might panic if someone swerves in front of you and turn the wrong way. If you get your license but you still have driving anxiety, you’re not as safe of a driver as you should be. You need to thoroughly understand the rules of the road, so you can respond to situations within seconds. Any delay could be catastrophic. Taking drivers ed is one of many steps you can take to reduce driving related deaths.

Another way to reduce driving related deaths is to get rid of all potential distractions and items that can impair judgement. Educate drivers on the facts and ensure they know what they’re getting into when they make these choices. In 2019, there have been 10,142 alcohol-related fatalities and 3,142 deaths due to distracted driving nation-wide. Those are senseless deaths that could easily have been avoided. All that had to happen to avoid those deaths was not get behind the wheel if they were under the influence or avoid all distractions while driving. There is a 0% need for any of these reckless acts. When you make the decision to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or pick up that phone to send a text, you’re putting others’ lives on the line. To prevent DUI’s, it’s beneficial to know what your options are. If you ever go out with friends to a bar, create a plan beforehand and lay out some rules. It’s harder to make rules and stick to them in the heat of the moment verses abiding by whatever you planned ahead of time. Your options could include: designate a friend that will stay sober and will drive everyone home, have a trusted sober friend you can call to drive you home, take a taxi, take an Uber, take a Lyft, or even walk home. To prevent distracted driving, there have been more options than ever. There are phone stands you can use, Do Not Disturb mode on your phone, there are apps you can download that will prevent anyone from texting or calling you while you’re driving, more modern cars are made with voice activated features that allow you to make phone calls and send texts all through your voice. Implementing options like these will go far to keep you and others safe on the road. You don’t need to have experience with accidents to understand the importance of spreading the message of staying safe on the road.

I have not personally been in an accident, but my uncle has been in one that nearly killed him. The woman that crashed into him was having an argument over the phone; she was distracted driving. Ever since then, my uncle has taken upmost care not to drive distracted. If he needs to look something up on his phone or send a text, he’ll pull over. I agree with the preventative measures that he takes because it’s better to be safe than sorry. For me to be a safer driver, I should make sure that any conversation I’m having isn’t impairing my ability to focus on the road, like that lady having an argument over the phone and almost killed my uncle. I can also remember to call out any friends or family that I see driving distracted or under the influence. It’s important to point it out to people because sometimes they might not even realize what they’re doing. By staying silent and letting them do something so dangerous is just as bad as being the one committing the act. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that their doing everything in their control to keep others safe. Educate, plan, and prevent.