Reducing Reckless Driving

Driver education helps people recognize and understand the responsibility of driving a car. Once drivers recognize and understand this responsibility, they can make more thoughtful and safe decisions both on and off the road. Ensuring that these decisions are made with safety in mind is vital to reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving.

In short, educating future and current drivers on road safety can reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Many drivers only begin to learn the more specific rules and dangers of driving when they are preparing to take their permit test. To combat this, schools could include lessons on driving in the years before the students would prepare to become drivers. These lessons should include not only the dangers of driving, but also ways to reduce or avoid these dangers in the first place. Additionally, these lessons should include some of the lesser-known dangers on the road, such as high emotion. Ensuring that future drivers are well-equipped with knowledge about the dangers of the road, as well as ways to limit them, can greatly reduce the number of deaths because of driving.

Although educating future drivers on road safety is important, keeping current drivers well-versed on road safety and the dangers of the road would have more immediate results. As drivers get more experience and practice on the road, they often get comfortable enough to grow lax on road safety. Simple, well-known dangers such as speeding or inclement weather become less concerning as drivers grow to believe their experience and skill outweighs the potential danger. One way to keep these drivers aware of these dangers is developing a widespread incentive towards staying well-versed in road safety rules. One relatively common incentive includes a reduction in car insurance after taking an online road safety course. Other, more widespread incentives can motivate drivers to stay cognizant of the more common dangers of the road, such as speeding or unsafe weather conditions. Awareness of these dangers is what keeps drivers making safe decisions, thus reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving.

I know several unsafe drivers and have often seen or experienced them driving irresponsibly. All these drivers have fallen into the mindset that their experience outweighs the simple dangers of the road, as described previously. The most common behavior this results in is speeding. The speed limit of a certain area is determined by several criteria to ensure that the drivers stay as safe as possible, and yet many drivers tend to believe that practice or skill can overcome the risks of driving faster than the road is designed for. This leads into the next common behavior: ignoring unsafe weather conditions. Whether it be driving in a snowstorm or speeding in the rain, ignoring the threat of weather while driving can be incredibly dangerous. Experienced drivers often underestimate the danger of slick roads or black ice, and subsequently do not take the precautions they should ensure the safety of themselves and the others on the road. Both behaviors are due, at least partially, to the lack of education or awareness of the dangers on the road and how much simple safety measures can reduce these threats.

I am a commuter college student and see many unsafe drivers on the road every day. Out of all of the dangers on the road, the one I have found to be most common and most dangerous is high emotion, specifically high stress. Many, if not most, of the drivers on the road nearing the time classes and work start for the day are very reckless. The stress of potentially being late outweighs their worry about their safety, and it causes them to make decisions like speeding, weaving through traffic, and running red lights. This behavior is incredibly dangerous to the driver and those on the road with them. Despite my best efforts, even I have fallen subject to this stress. The few times I have nearly gotten into a collision have all been due to high stress, whether it be by making unsafe decisions or simply being distracted. The threat of emotions on driving is one of the most dangerous, if only because it is less well-known and recognized.

The best way I can become a better and safer driver is to stay educated on the dangers of driving and make sure I remain aware of how dangerous the more common threats on the road are. I can do this by taking online courses or by doing simple research every few months. Additionally, I can remind those around me of the threats of the road and recommend they also take the steps stated above to keep themselves aware. Road safety is based on the recognition of the dangers of the road and the knowledge of how to reduce or avoid them. The best way to promote safe driving is to ensure that this recognition and knowledge is as common as possible among both future and current drivers.