The Effects of Driver Awareness and Federal Support

What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in a car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road?

As I learned from the State mandated “Alive at 25” driver’s class I had to take before I could get my license, vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in people ages 16-24. More than 46,000 people die in car crashes annually, which is roughly twelve and a half deaths per every 100,000 people. That’s not all though, roughly three million Americans experience injuries from car crashes. It’s reported that two million of these injuries are permanent. Whether or not they are fatal, car crashes have devastating effects on millions of people across the country. Families are left to deal with grief and worry over their injured family members. On top of their brutal feelings, they are forced to deal with enormous hospital bills, car payments, and possibly even lawsuits. There are hardly any beneficial car crash scenarios, so it would be good to work together as a nation to prevent these devastating events.

While I’ve never been in a car accident, I know many people who have felt the consequences of reckless driving. For example, my own best friend was in a car crash a couple years ago and still suffers from back problems and related migraines from her old injuries. In addition, I’ve had classmates in wrecks who have been forced to miss several weeks of school due to injury. Despite the fact that my classmates know these people, I have many friends who drive recklessly. The same goes for my family members – I have an uncle who is incredibly reckless while driving. My cousins have told me many stories of the times he would take his giant family van and zoom past traffic on the shoulder of the road. What’s even worse is that he suffers from occasional seizures, so he shouldn’t even be behind the wheel in the first place! Needless to say, whenever we visit their house, I always make sure to ride with my aunt or drive myself places.

One of the worst parts of car wrecks is that most of them are preventable. Increasing public knowledge of driving safety and injury statistics relating to car crashes can help reduce injuries. It might also help if states passed stricter laws regarding mandatory safety and educational classes. Some states used to have mandatory instruction hours with a professional driving instructor, which I think would greatly aid the driving abilities of the general public. After all, studies show that people who haven’t taken drivers education classes are 24% more likely to be involved in fatal crashes as well as 16% more likely to be in an accident. These drivers are also 75% more likely to be charged with tickets for driving infractions.It logically follows that these sorts of classes are beneficial for the well being of everyone on the road. Any costs for producing these classes will be made up by saved federal healthcare expenses, cost of ticket processing, and legal administration fees. It might save even more money to incorporate driving education into an already federally funded institution: the public school system. Making drivers education a mandatory class in schools would greatly increase drivers awareness and road safety. It would also provide more much needed local job opportunities. Other ways to prevent roadside accidents include promoting and supporting campaigns against drunk and high driving. Again, this might be a good thing to incorporate in school systems in order to educate students.

One distraction that has become more prevalent on the road through the years are cellular devices. It would be a good idea to continue teaching awareness in public schools against texting or calling while driving. Many phones already have a “car mode” with a simplified screen so as not to distract drivers, but it might be a good idea to go even further. For example, we might consider implementing mandatory do not disturb settings on phones for minors. This service would also be recommended for consenting adults. This setting would stem either directly from cell service providers which turn off upon sensing car movement or a setting implemented by smartphone companies. The only trick is there would have to be a manual override for minors to contact guardians and emergency services.

I personally will make an effort to reduce distractions while I drive by keeping my phone in my bag (on do not disturb) and turning my music to appropriate volumes. I will always check that my passengers are buckled up as well as avoiding driving when emotional or sick to prevent bad judgment mistakes. I will make an effort to remind myself that speeding and aggressive driving are useless, especially in the city. Shaving off two or three minutes of travel time is not worth risking my life. After all, the world will keep on spinning, even if I’m late, but I want to be alive to experience it. It would also likely help me to have any friends or family keep me accountable while I drive and I will do the same when I ride places with them. Safety pacts and making efforts to keep myself and other people from distracting the driver will improve our safety on the road.