One Driver At A Time

“I can’t be late tomorrow,” you tell yourself on a late Sunday night. “I have to be on time tomorrow for the presentation.”

The next morning your eyes open and the first thing you see outside the window is the bright blue sky, which is a sign that the sun is well above the horizon, and suddenly you remember: the presentation is today. Panicked, you check your alarm clock, which reads eight-thirty. You quickly realize you have half an hour to show up before the presentation starts. Immediately, you hit the road with no time to waste, unsure if you will even make it in time. Outside the windshield, you see the building and parking lot not too far away with only a minute to spare, and a wave of relief surges over you. You make a beeline for your parking spot when suddenly you encounter a driver’s worst nightmare: a walking pedestrian. You slam on the brakes as fast as you can, but it is too late.

The tension that arises from being late for school or work is something we know all too well. Sometimes, that leads us to become hasty on the road, careless even. However, driving recklessly could have a myriad of risks and potential problems down the road. Aside from possibly sustaining vehicular damage which can break the bank, we could get badly hurt or even lose our lives. Therefore, it is in our best interest to drive as safely as possible, to avoid causing unnecessary pain to ourselves and others.

Driver’s education serves as a way to slowly ease a newcomer into the art of driving. Of course, driver’s education is more than a recap of road rules and interpreting signs; it teaches how to be self-aware when driving. Also, driver’s education is only effective if we apply what we learn from it. If we put in the effort to put into practice the things we learn from driver’s education, we will drive safely and responsibly.

One thing we can all do to reduce the number of deaths on the road is to avoid drinking and driving at the same time. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair our ability to concentrate and think straight. Statistics show that a “total of 35% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred due to impaired driving” (Bieber, par. 4). Another leading cause of fatal car accidents involves excessive speeding, coming in at 29%. People usually tend to speed when they are running later than they should. If you find yourself frequently running late for school or work, consider making a morning schedule, then stick to it. This way, you do not have to speed up and drive hastily, and the road will be a safe environment for everyone. Finally, even though this goes without saying, wearing seatbelts can save drivers and passengers from a fatal car crash.

Distracted driving is another common cause of fatal car accidents. Even though it is prohibited in most states, texting while driving remains one of the most common distractors, especially among teenagers. To put into perspective how dangerous this distraction is, imagine you were driving at 55 mph on a highway and looking at your phone for 5 seconds. You would have driven an entire football field’s length with your eyes closed (“Distracted Driving”, par. 2). To drive safely, remove any potential distractions that could take your eyes off the road, and have your phone on mute. That way, you will not be pressured to respond to a text message immediately.

Even though I have never been in a car accident myself, I am always working to improve my awareness and drive more safely. I will admit, however, that obeying the speed limit has been a challenge for me as I usually tend to go above it, even in school zones. To combat this problem, I try to plan ahead so that I don’t feel forced to drive fast.

The road is a very dangerous place, but the good news is that it doesn’t have to be. If we all take the steps to drive more safely and responsibly, we can reduce the number of car accident-related fatalities. Driving safely can also save us lots of pain and agony from a potential car accident. We can set a good example to newcomers who can use tips to improve their driving skills; after all, they need it. It will not be easy, but we can make the road a safer place – one driver at a time.

Works Cited

Bieber, Christy. “Car Accident Statistics for 2023.” Edited by Adam Ramirez, Forbes, 18 July 2023, www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/car-accident-statistics/.

“Distracted Driving.” NHTSA, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving. Accessed 31 July 2023.