Stay sharp when driving. There are lives in your hands.

“Are you kidding me!” That’s what I said when I knew how close I was to losing my mom, my dad, and my older brother. One night, while my mother was pregnant with my brother, she and my dad went out driving when suddenly they got in a car accident. The person in the car behind my parents hit them from behind. Now don’t get me wrong, the car didn’t go swerving into a ditch but it was a hit hard enough to send my mom straight to the hospital to check on her baby. But by the grace of God, he was fine. But what if he wasn’t? What if in that crash my mom, my dad, and my unborn older brother died. I would have never been born or even written this essay that you reading right now. Maybe the person who hit my parent’s car was on his phone, maybe the person was inexperienced. But what if the driver simply didn’t have a driver’s education class to teach the importance of staying alert when driving.

Sadly this is the reality for many others. A ridiculous amount of people die on the road because of a lack of driver’s education and I praise God that my parents weren’t one of them. But what if it is next time? What if while you’re driving on the road someone crashes into you for their lack of proper driver education? I believe there are countless of ways to prevent this.

Steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving can be something as simple as putting on your seatbelt. Did you know that a lot of the number of deaths on the road stem from the passengers not having their seatbelts on? Just yesterday while I was driving with my mom I noticed that the car in front of me had a child in the back walking through the car without a seatbelt on! Most likely the parents understand that their child should be in a seatbelt but do they fully know how high of a chance their child now has of being seriously harmed. How much were the parents taught about car safety? Another way to limit the number of deaths on the road is having better-taught drivers’ education. Being taught repeatedly about the importance of safety and alertness on the road can significantly reduce the number of car deaths. Being told to wear your seatbelt because it’s the law is good to teach. But being told that you’re around 45% less likely to die if you wear your seat belt is a great and effective way to be taught. Also making sure to leave your house on time can reduce driving risks. I bet many of us have had an experience where you just woke up and realized you running late. Your jump out of bed trying to hurry and get ready so you can leave on time. Sadly as you finish getting ready and are about to head out the door you realize no matter what, you’re going to be late. Now I bet many of you have felt the urge to speed to your destination to see if maybe you can still be on time. Try at all times to never be in those situations. Never risk your life and others lives just to be on time. Making the right decisions as you’re driving is crucial but what you do before taking your position in the driver’s seat can be a matter of life and death aswell.

For example, don’t convince yourself that I’ll just have a little to drink and I’ll be fine. Never drink and drive. Just a little bit of alcohol while driving has the power to kill you and everyone around you on the road. When alcohol is in your system your vision is worst, you have a slower reaction time, you have a lack of coordination, you don’t have good judgment, and you are not able to concentrate as you should. Drinking while driving is not worth it. Value your life enough to make the safest and smartest decisions.

There are so many ways to reduce deaths on the road and none of us are perfect drivers. I know for myself there are many ways that I can improve my driving skills to be a safer and better driver. One of them is turning my turning signal on when I switch lanes, coming to smoother stops, and staying more aware of my surroundings. My family and friends are also some people that can improve as well and I would love to show them the risks of unsafe driving and individual ways to improve.

Overall there are several ways to stay safe on the road and reduce the chances of deaths on the road. Be aware, follow the rules of the road, make the right choices and stay SHARP. There are lives in your hands.