Responsibility of Driving

Every day starts off normal, nothing seems out of place. Being as I was in eighth grade I could not drive yet, but my older sister who was a junior in high school could. Bella always left before my mom and I to pick up her friend and go to school. As my mom and I were pulling out of our neighborhood onto the little two-lane road, there was immediately traffic, and if you lived around there, you knew that it was an accident. Accidents were common on this road, people going to fast and others not looking or paying attention. While stuck in the traffic my mom started getting nervous because my sister left not too long ago, she told me to call her. I called but there was no answer, called again but still no answer, next thing I knew my mom was driving on the side of the road rushing to aid my sister. We arrived at the scene and there was my sister’s little car with the driver’s side door crushed to pieces. Bella was sitting near her car, crying in shock. The whole experience was surreal and still to this day does not feel real. The ambulance came and Bella’s friend unfortunately suffered a concussion. I am glad that there were only minor injuries because I knew that it could have been much worse that day. I could have lost a sister. Young drivers are always more likely to be in a car crash, and that it why it is important to make sure that the proper driver’s education is reached to everyone to prevent accidents like this and worse.

Now that I am older and can drive myself, I want to be able to help others take drivers education classes to help reduce the number of accidents. According to an article written by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a study found that “Young drivers who have not completed driver’s education are 75 percent more likely to get a traffic ticket, 24 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal or injury accident and 16 percent more likely to have an accident.” By having every driver taking some kind of driver’s education classes, there could be a decrease in driving related deaths. Many driving related deaths are due to distracted driving. Everyone seems to be glued to their phones, it is like an addiction that you cannot get away from and the addiction is so bad that even while driving there is an urge to check what notification just popped up onto your phone. Many people do not realize how dangerous that using your phone while driving is. According to NHTSA, 3,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Many think that it will not happen to them, but what happens if it does?

To help reduce the number of deaths related to driving there is many things that anyone who drives can do. If they are a new learner, they need as much practice hours as possible with an experienced driver, having more experience and practice has been shown to reduce car crashes. For all driver’s, limiting speeding is important, alongside distracted driving speeding is also one of the top causes for car crashes. To prevent speeding, the driver needs to be vigilant to their own speed and others around them as well as to make sure to not rush themselves. Another step to be familiar with the safety precautions in the vehicle, for example knowing where the emergency break is and if the car has a brake system in it. Alongside with safety precautions is to wear a seatbelt, another statement made by NHTSA, “Of the 23,824 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2020, 51% were not wearing seat belts.” I always wear my seatbelt and make sure that everyone that is riding in the same car is wearing a seatbelt to. Another thing that can help others and myself be safe to not use a cell phone while driving. Ways to help prevent crashes is to have a passenger in the car use the cellphone and if someone is alone, make sure that they pull over in a safe spot and then use the phone. One thing that most people are taught but do not think about is to not drive when emotionally upset. According to an article written by ABC news, “operating a vehicle while visibly sad, angry or agitated — increases crash risk nearly tenfold, according to new research from Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute.” It is important to set a good example to others to help spread the message of safe driving.