Staying Safe on The Road

Many say that driving is the most dangerous thing we do every day. It is seen as an everyday thing and is not a source of stress for most drivers. However, the fatality rate says otherwise. In 2018 alone, an estimated 40,000 people nationally died due to vehicular crashes. This is in part because irresponsible habits are left unchecked. They create mistakes that put people at risk for injury, and even death.

Luckily, there are many practices that allow people to be safe drivers. Driver’s Ed is one of them. Taking it reinforces the best habits to simply exist on the highways. If you have a good instructor, they’ll tell you the state law, along with other exercises that help avoid crashes while driving. Driver’s Ed also gives the student hands-on experience, not just taking a knowledge test. Before doing something dangerous, you would want to familiarize yourself with the act. The same thing goes for driving. In Washington state, Driver’s Ed is required to get your license because they see how it could help everyone, not only the new driver. When you stay safe driving, others do too, as they are not the victims of an accident caused by you.

There are many exercises that you can implement on your own that reduce your risk of collision. For instance, make sure every passenger has their seatbelts on before putting the car in drive. If you do get into an accident for any reason, it is important to do this. If seatbelts are not secure, passengers could go flying through the window or have pieces of the car get into their system, resulting in death. You should never drive if you have taken alcohol or other drugs. This can cloud your judgment and awareness of your surroundings; critical for driving. In 2020 alone, 11,654 people died due to alcohol impaired crashes. Also, never believe that you can multitask very well, such as driving with a phone in your hand or changing the radio often. Just 2 seconds can turn into 1 minute, in which a car could be turning left while you are still moving, a kid could run out in the street, and many other dangerous occurrences that could result in your death and in theirs. These are only a few of the countless ways to help save lives when driving.

I have been in a car accident with my auntie before. She had just picked me up from school and we were stopped at a red light, trying to turn right. We were in a residential area, but for some reason this huge semi-truck was pulling up behind us. We did not think much of it, but suddenly we felt this bump. Our Jamba Juice smoothies spilled all over the place, and my mouth was hanging open wide. Luckily my auntie and I were wearing our seatbelts, so we only lurched forward a bit. The semi-truck had hit us, but stopped just before the car went flying. For some reason, there was a dent on the side of the car and not the back. The truck driver claimed that he couldn’t see us because we had a black car that blended into the road, but it was pretty shiny. A cop came over to see what the commotion was, but we did not press any charges. We only switched insurance and drove home with our dented little backseat door. It was a scary and shocking experience, but luckily no one was hurt.

To be a safer driver, you must follow the rules of the road and stay focused. Getting in an accident is scary, and often you don’t know if you’ll survive. To combat this, take these steps to reduce your risk of a collision. To do so, try to take Driver’s Ed and follow the practices listed here. These are tools that will stick with you your whole life. Being a safe driver also means that you protect the lives of others driving. You can do this by telling your family and friends the habits you have learned. I’ve seen my family members driving dangerously, and have been in the car for many of their tickets. It is terrifying to be around that, even if they have been driving for a long time. One small mix-up can lead to a crash. So, there is always more to learn about driving, and you can relay that to the people you love. In time, you could cause a chain reaction, allowing your community, city, or even state to have safer streets.