Driving Miss Daisy

Each year approximately 1.3 million people are killed in car accidents. This statistic represents the largest category of accidental deaths among children and young adults in the United States.ⁱ There are many safety hazards on the road and to improve highway safety more guidelines need to be created.

Distracted driving is the primary cause of roadside fatalities. Although options such as Ubers and designated drivers exist, motorists are continually choosing to endanger both themselves and others. In addition, 3000 more lives are lost annually due to unfocused drivers. Sadly, drivers do not understand the seriousness of their actions. I have had friends who have posted TikToks while driving. People erroneously have the “It won’t happen to me,” mentality, and they text, eat, make phone calls, etc., while their attention should be on driving their vehicle. Unfortunately, it is too late for the driver to go back and realize, “It can and will happen to me,” after causing an accident.

Sometimes fatalities and injuries are not the sole fault of the driver. There is also the issue of the vehicles themselves. Not every car is as safe as the other; consequently, this adds to the number of injuries and fatalities in accidents. The obvious scenario is that not everyone can afford a brand-new car. While newer cars are safer than their predecessors, older cars that do not have updated safety requirements are still on the road.

Although significant safety changes have been made, the Offices of Highway Safety are taking action to improve the roadway. Rumble strips are being installed to jolt distracted or sleepy drivers into alertness. Additionally, median barriers are used to keep opposing cars from meeting. Thirdly, roundabouts are being installed in dangerous intersections to slow the flow of traffic.

Motorists also need to make some changes. Drivers must stay off their phones while driving. It has been proven countless times that texting kills, and drivers must realize this tiny mistake could be monumental. Next responsible drivers should also be responsible passenger and hold their friends and family accountable for driving safely. Thirdly, noise control and conversations within a car are problematic if they are distracting.

Another, and probably the most important, means for improving safety is Driver’s Education courses. Currently, this is a requirement for obtaining a Georgia driver’s license. There are both an online and in person driver’s education option. I, personally, remember watching and learning a lot of information from this training, as some of the general knowledge that is shared would not arise while driving until it is too late. Along with the general knowledge to be gained by this course, the mandatory driving time with a certified instructor seems like a beneficial requirement. Georgia requires that drivers holding a learner’s permit keep a log of their driving hours. The minimum logged hours before obtaining a driver’s license is 40 hours with six hours being nighttime driving. Although the premise of this log is good, I have not had one friend who has had to submit their driving log to receive their driver’s license at 16. Thus, if a certified driver’s education instructor was required to accompany a driver while obtaining these hours, it would be more valuable.

No matter how prepared a driver is to set forth on his or her own, if a driver chooses badly, consequences will happen. I have had several of my friends have accidents while being distracted behind the wheel. Just recently a tragedy occurred in our community that involved my cousin. Another vehicle ran a stop sign while on his phone, and he was t-boned by the furniture delivery van that my cousin was riding in. Sadly, the other man lost his life. My cousin had broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a concussion. My cousin’s boss had much more serious injuries and had to be life-flighted for emergency surgeries, but he survived and is recovering rapidly. To make the community understand the seriousness of texting while driving, our local news station posted pictures of the vehicles on Facebook. They were horrific. The engine of my cousin’s work van was completely ripped out of the front, and the other truck was demolished. I wish that I could get these images out of my mind, but I honestly cannot unsee them. My family is very thankful that my cousin survived, but this tragedy did not have to happen. Drivers must put down their phones.

To ensure that I am drive as safely as possible, firstly, I do not keep my phone in the front of my car. Instead, I keep it in my purse in the back of my car. This ensures that I am not distracted by a meaningless text while driving. Of course, with modern technology, hands-free calling and texting are the norm, but I do not drive while chatting, as I am concerned that my concentration may not be fully on the road. Next, I drive my younger sisters to school daily, and I have both in the back seat to ensure that they are not distractors to me. Most importantly, I do not speed. My parents utilize Life360 for safety purposes in case something ever happens to me. Not only does this software show my current whereabouts, it also shows if I pick up my phone, speed, or brake hard. Weekly, my family compares who was the best driver through the app, which also helps to encourage me to be safe.

Beyond personal accountability, more laws need to be implemented. These laws should require car manufacturers, even those not producing a high rate of vehicles, to have crash tests on all vehicles in production. Additionally, the consequences for texting and drunk driving should be stronger. To do this, more law enforcement needs to be available to ensure that driving checkpoints exist. Instead of checking for just license and registration, phones can be scanned for recent activity and sobriety testing can be available if needed. Finally, programs like State Farm’s Drive and Save could be enforced for vehicle tracking to ensure repeat offenders are driving safely.

Sadly, not everyone is going to abide by the laws against drunk and distracted driving. To remedy this problem the Governors’ Offices of Highway Safety need to provide more funding for traffic enforcement to make the roadways safer.