The Dangers of Driving

Driving is one of the most dangerous things we do on a consistent basis. Most people don’t understand how dangerous driving can really be. People frequently use speed limits as suggestions and speed through the streets hoping they don’t get pulled over. However, they should be more concerned with looking out for people crossing the road. If you are driving through a residential neighborhood at 20 mph and you hit somebody, they have a 5% chance of death. However, if you are going 40 mph the chances are 16 times greater at 80% chance of death. I think that these statistics should definitely be more known to show how dangerous driving can really be.

Not only is it important to understand how driving can be dangerous, but it is also important to learn how to be a safe driver. Being confident in understanding the rules of the road is crucial in becoming a good driver. People have to know what decisions to make while driving. However, you can’t assume everyone on the road makes good decisions. For example, if you see a car swerving in the lanes in front of you, you might want to distance yourself from that car to make sure that there won’t be an accident. Making smart decisions while driving whether it is “should I make this right turn?” or “should I pass this car?” is very important when driving. Making decisions before you get in the car is even more important. If you are under an influence of drugs, it would be significantly more dangerous to drive. A good decision would be to wait a couple hours before you get in the car. Another thing to watch out for is the weather and road conditions. Ask if there might be ice on the road or muddy, your car might get stuck or slip.

I think that the most important part in making sure there is less deaths on the road is to show people how fatal car crashes can be. Telling stories about people getting in bad accidents is important for recognizing how bad these accidents can be. This should not scare people away from driving but make them more aware while driving. Also driving under the influence should be talked about as well. A good amount of driving accidents is due to a drunk driver. 30 people die each day in the US due to drunk driving. The main contributor to car crashes in the US is distracted driving. People need to know how dangerous to be distracted and driving is. When you are driving it is crucial that you are paying all your attention to the road.

I have personally been in a minor car crash. I was taking a protected left turn at an intersection and was hit from an older lady coming from the right of me. The light had just turned green, so I think that she was just distracted and ran the red light. She took my mirror on the right side of my car off and damaged the side of my fender and bumper. I was lucky that it didn’t do any real damage to my car. But I think that experience made me a better driver because it shows that not all people are responsible divers, and I have to watch out for that. Also, when I’m driving with my friends sometimes, they go too fast. I just give them a friendly reminder of the speed limit, so they slow down to a more appropriate speed.

I think that what I can do to improve my own driving is to make sure that I’m being aware of my surroundings, don’t look at my phone or any other distractions, and watch my speed. The more time I spend driving safe the better I get at driving. I strive to be a more confident and decisive driver. I try to help my friends that I drive with by reminding them to keep under the speed limit and to watch out for other people on the road. I think that my influence has made them better drivers and I hope that they do the same for other people. Driving is dangerous activity so we must treat it as such. The more people that are better drivers, the less deaths will occur due to accidents. I just hope that more people will be safer on the roads in the future and lees deaths will occur due to driving accidents.