Life Altering

What can happen if drivers are not educated on how to drive safely? Well, that’s easy right? People can crash and die from mistakes made on the roads; however, many people do not think about what happens to those who survive a wreck. 38,000 people die every year in the US from a car crash and 6 million are injured by a car accident. These injuries and deaths are not only to the driver, but also to the passenger. 96% of collisions between passenger vehicles and large trucks, the people in the passenger vehicle were killed. This shows everyone in a vehicle is at risk to an injury not just the driver.

There are several things that can happen to those who survive, but I personally know a survivor who had her life turned upside down by t-bone crash that could have easily been avoided had the driver been driving safely and following driver safety rules.

I was driving behind my friend on our way to school when it happened. A driver ran a red light at the same time my friend had begun driving through our green. A loud bang sounded through the air stopping my heart as she spun a 180 from the collision. Her driver side door was severely damaged from the impact pinning her to her seat. The front end of the other car was completely totaled resulting in both cars needing to be towed. Her head was thrown against the window knocking her unconscious whilst the man was smacked back in his seat causing whiplash.

Both drivers were rushed to the hospital in hopes there was no permanent damage. Due to my friends age of 16 that crash altered the chemicals in her brain giving her an allergy that can never be cured: aquagenic urticaria. This is an allergy to water meaning she can no longer swim, shower, bathe, or even cry without breaking out in hives. If her skin is exposed to too much water, she will go into anaphylactic shock and die without proper treatment. Additionally, she needed months of physical therapy due to the extreme whiplash she received. She could have died because of this simple decision that may not have seemed like a large one at the moment. The driver was found to be under the influence while driving resulting in poor judgement and unsafe driving. All of this happened due to one person deciding to drive after drinking.

Without proper education on how important it is to follow these safe driving rules, lives can be permanently changed and this is only one example of how severely they can be altered. It is vital to read up on the rules of the road every few years to ensure safety while driving not only for yourself but also for others. No matter how tempting it may be to drive instead of paying someone to drive you, driving safely is always more important. There are many methods of transportation now, such as Uber and a designated driver, to make it easier to travel safely while under the influence.

I believe there should be stricter consequences for drunk drivers such as mandatory license revocation instead of just the possibility. There should also be mandatory jail time for endangering the lives of others through careless driving. The laws need to enforce this strictness to dissuade people from driving drunk as the results are catastrophic.

In order to prevent accidents like this from occurring, there needs to be more funding for the police so they can send more patrols out to watch for drivers that may be driving recklessly. Until that happens, we can assist the police in stopping these drivers before an accident occurs. If someone is swerving and seems to be under the influence have your passenger call 911 or pull over to do so. Provide as detailed a description as possible such as the license plate number, car type, car color, etc. so the police know who to look for.

Another reason to have more patrol cars out is to motivate drivers to be cautious. A ticket can cause their insurance cost to be raised which is something no one would like. Whenever I am out driving and see a patrol car I notice everyone else hit their breaks to avoid a speeding ticket. Having more of these policemen out will further incentivize people to always drive within the speed limit.

A way that I personally stay safe on the roads, is by starting my music before I start driving. I created a few playlists to play while in the car so I am not tempted to look away while driving to simply change a song. After picking the playlist I put my phone as far away from me as possible to ensure there is absolutely no temptation to pick it up.

A great way insurances are helping is by offering a discount for driving safely. Several insurance companies offer an app that can monitor how safe a person is driving. This is a great way to incentivize safe driving as people will be motivated to drive safely to keep their discount. An example of this is a program that offers discounts to drivers that are practicing safe driving. I believe this program should be mandatory for all drivers on all insurances and unsafe driving should result in higher costs to further incentivize people to drive safely.

While keeping yourself safe is important, it is also important to remind others to practice safe driving. When getting into a car, it only takes a few seconds to remind all those in the vehicle to buckle up and put away anything that may distract the driver. Looking away for just a few seconds can be extremely dangerous especially when driving on the highway. It is the passenger’s duty to hold all distractions away from the driver and assist with anything the driver needs so they are not tempted to take their eyes off the road.

Being personally accountable for yourself and others is vitally important but will not always be followed which is why it is critical to provide additional funding for police, have all insurances mandate safe driving monitoring, and make the laws/ consequences stricter for drunk driving.