A Safe Driver Leads to a Safer Road

Driving is something that we do everyday, but yet it is one of the most dangerous things in the United States. “Scholarship” mentioned that an average of thirty four thousand people in America die each year from driving accidents (1). “FastStats” also said that the leading cause of death for young adult drivers and adolescents who are between the ages of 15 and 24 is motor vehicle traffic injuries. These death rates are higher than the death rates for adults (2). “FastStats” said that this is because the drivers are less experienced. They. Are also more likely to get into a car with a less experienced driver . Since 2000, the death rates for people aged 15-24 have gone down by nearly sixty three percent (2). Thomas said that today, 23 states require drivers education for anybody under the age of 18 wanting a driver’s license. He also stated that thirty states give anyone under the age of 18 a restricted license whether or not they have taken a driver’s education course. In the majority of the driver’s education course there is 30 hours of classroom instruction teaching how to safely drive before stepping behind the wheel (2-5).

One thing that we can do to reduce this number of deaths is educate the drivers. Out of every four accidents that happen in the United States, one of them is from distracted driving. The number one form of distracted driving is cell phone usage. By educating drivers and passengers we can help to reduce the amount of accidents and raise awareness of the problem. Ian Newman said that educating drivers significantly reduces the amount of crashes in new drivers such as teens. Newman states that inexperienced drivers are seventy five percent more likely to get a traffic ticket and twenty four percent more likely to be in an injury or death related accident. Newman collected this information by conducting a study on 151,800 Nebraskans youth who got their driving permit between 2003 and 2010 and fifty three percent of these students had taken a drivers education course with the others having logged fifty hours of driving time with a parent. Newman said, “Teens taking driver education are less likely to be involved in crashes or to receive a traffic violation during their first two years of driving because teen crashes and fatality rates are highest at ages 16-18, these reductions are especially meaningful. Driver education appears to make a difference in teen traffic outcomes at a time when risk is highest.” By having driver’s education classes available for teenagers and other adults it can lower the amount of automobile accidents and even deaths that are related to them. It is a safe way for the drivers to learn how to drive by teaching them the correct way of driving before putting them out on the road. Driver’s education is important because it teaches the students the precautions that they need to take before getting on the road (1-4).

There are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths that are related to car accidents. These steps can all be learned through driver’s education. The first step is to always wear your seatbelt. This is important because if you choose not to wear your seat belt you are putting yourself into danger. Seatbelts are there to keep you inside the vehicle if an accident occurs. Wearing your seatbelt is a law and by not wearing it you can be pulled over and ticketed. Seatbelts are put in vehicles to prevent the passengers or the driver from being ejected from the vehicle when a crash occurs. It keeps the riders safer. “Policy Impact” said that more than three out of four people who are ejected from their vehicle die from the injuries that occur (1). “Policy Impact” also states that in 2009 more than half of the deaths that occurred from motor vehicles were because the passenger was not wearing their seat belt at the time of the accident. They also said, “seatbelts dramatically reduce risk of death and serious injury,” (1-2). Another step that we can do is to avoid distracted driving. “Staff” said that nine people a day die and over one thousand people are injured from distracted driving accidents (3). Distracted driving is when you are doing another activity that is taking your attention off of the road while you are driving. These can be cognitive, manual, and cognitive but the worst distraction out of all of them is considered to be texting and driving (3-4). Over one million accidents are caused by cell phone use each year—this ends up to be one out of every four accidents. You can resist the temptation of using your cellphone by completely turning it off, using the GPS installed in the car, putting it in the backseat, or even downloading an app that doesn’t allow you to use the phone while you are driving (4). Other ways that you can limit the distractions around you is to limit the people you have in the vehicle, pull over to eat, quit driving if you begin to feel drowsy, and plan the route that you are going to take before leaving (5). Watching your speed is important while driving. “Staff” said that speed related accidents cause almost ten thousand fatalities a year (6). Speed limits are there to tell you the limit that the road was built for and by driving over it it can put you and other drivers in danger. Many people are driving in a hurry everyday. By giving yourself enough time to where you know you will be somewhere on time it can keep you and other driver’s safer (6). Altogether there are many different things that can be done in order to reduce the amount of fatal accidents. Driving safely is always important and can save lives. You should always pay attention to the road and wear your seatbelts. By doing this you can save your life and prevent an accident that could end someone else’s.

I have had one experience in car accidents. It was during the fall and I was driving to meet my mother for lunch. I came across an unmarked intersection that was covered with tall corn. That is where I was in a t-bone because neither of the vehicles could see the other one until it was too late. Nobody was injured in the accident but both cars were totaled. Some steps that I can take to become a safer and better driver is to avoid distracted driving. I don’t text and drive and I always put my phone in my bag that I bring with me but I do drive around with my little sisters a lot. This can be distracting to me because we like to listen to country music and observe things that are happening around us. We also like to talk about things that are happening in our lives at the moment.One thing that I can do to reduce the amount of distraction is when we are talking I can pull over and find a place to park. This way I am only focused on one thing at a time and I can give my sisters my full attention. By obeying the law and driving safely it will help others become safer drivers as well. With my full attention on the road while I am driving I will be able to correct before another person can cause an accident. I can also help others become safer drivers by talking to them about their driving habits and how to become a safer driver.

Works Cited
– “FastStats – Accidents or Unintentional Injuries.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm.
– “Policy Impact: Seat Belts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Jan. 2011, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/seatbeltbrief/index.html.
– “Scholarship.” DmvEdu.org, 4 Jan. 2022, https://www.dmvedu.org/scholarship/.
– Staff, DriveSafe Online. “How to Reduce Your Risk of Car Accidents.” DriveSafe Online®, 5 Dec. 2020, https://www.drivesafeonline.org/defensive-driving/reduce-risks-of-being-in-a-car-accident/.
– Thomas, FD. “A Fresh Look at Drivers Education In America.” NHTSA, 2012, Www.nhtsa.gov/static files/nit/pdf/811543.pdf.
– Ian Newman. “Study: Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, Tickets.” Study: Driver’s Ed Significantly Reduces Teen Crashes, http://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2015/08/13/Study:+Driver%27s+ed+significantly+reduces+teen+crashes,+tickets.