Safe Driving

It’s very common nowadays for people not to get their license until they are almost 20 years old; sometimes people never get a license. You’ll hear the older generations say it’s because they are “snowflakes” or have no sense, but in reality, many of these people are just scared of driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 103 people died in the US due to traffic-related accidents in 2016 (Crashstats). This number seems to have become the average rate, which is fairly disturbing as it is almost impossible to get around without driving. While it is important to be aware of these statistics, it is far more important that we address the problem and find a way to bring these numbers down. A few ways that we can bring awareness to future generations is by sharing, educating, and holding others accountable for their unsafe practices.

Almost everyone can tell you at least one story of when someone came in to talk about driving safely during their childhood. Schools have taken this issue into their own hands by trying to make their students aware of the multiple dangers of driving. Oftentimes, these people were families of loved ones who had passed due to drunk driving or someone who had their life altered due to reckless driving. While this did show the reality of unsafe driving, it never really prepared you for the fact that most people get into at least one minor traffic accident in their lifetime. About a year ago, I was in of these minor accidents. I have almost always had a deep-rooted fear of driving and only got my license a little while ago at the age of 19. My parents were first responders and saw crashes almost daily, so the truth was never hidden from me; I was always aware of these dangers. It didn’t help that when I was eight, my sister got into an accident, and I thought she had died for a few hours. Neither mine nor my sister’s accidents were anyone’s fault, they both just happened. She hydroplaned in bad weather and couldn’t stop before hitting the bridge barriers. My friend and I tried to cross a street at a stop sign, but our view was obstructed by cars parked on the side of the road, and we got hit. While both were quite traumatizing for me, nothing could’ve stopped them. You could say my sister should’ve been more careful, but it’s hard to stop hydroplaning in bad weather. You could say my friend and I should’ve been looking both ways, but we were. The reality of driving is that things happen, but they happen while you are in control of a nearly 5,000-pound vehicle. I believe it’s important to educate more people about this fact and tell them what to do when such things occur. What information do you need? Whose insurance do you need to get? Whom do you call? These are all questions that many people don’t have an answer to. These are things everyone should know, knowledge everyone should have access to at an early age. Something that should be taught in driver’s ed.

As I said in the beginning, many people don’t get their licenses until they are almost 20. Unsurprisingly, many of these people never took driver’s education, me included. Thankfully, I still read the handbook and took a highlighter to it to help me learn traffic laws, but I cannot say the same for everyone else. I personally know someone who just used common sense to pass their test, which is great in theory but bad in practice. There are many things in your handbook to help you learn to drive on top of basic traffic laws everyone should know. Unfortunately, not everyone can get into driver’s ed. While it used to be a mandatory class in many schools, nowadays you have to find and pay for your instructor. That was the main reason I never took the class. We never really had the extra money and often couldn’t find a place when we did have it. I firmly believe that everyone should have access to driver’s education because it’s important for people to understand every responsibility that comes with owning a car and driving it, especially during a time when it’s nearly impossible not to drive.

I think one of the most important things we as people can do to prevent crashes is to hold others accountable for their bad habits. Most people have seen their friends or loved ones do something a little less than responsible while driving, and while it turned out okay then, it could’ve easily turned out to be the worst decision of their lives. A few examples would be texting while driving, not paying attention to the road, or even simply trying to find the right song on their phone. These are very small things that can lead to very big crashes. A great way we can prevent these actions as passengers is by offering to do whatever the driver needs that could distract them from the road. Whether that be grabbing their bag from the back or scrolling through their playlist, it’s important that the driver stays focused while you get what they need. It’s important to hold yourself accountable for these same actions when alone. We may not be the most patient species out there, but you can wait to text someone back or find the best song. In fact, there are ways you can do these actions safely. Many vehicles and mobile devices have voice commands so you can perform these actions while staying focused on the road. It’s something small, but also something that could save a life.

Most of these things are hard to instill into people. Habits are hard to break and there are only so many times you can hear a story before ignoring it. I don’t think we will ever get to a time when there are no car crashes, but I do believe we can minimize a lot of them by caring about ourselves and others. Listening to people, educating ourselves, and doing our best to be safe drivers is the best way to prevent life-threatening crashes. At the end of the day, it comes down to the people, not just the law, to keep the world safe.

Works Cited

Crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812451.