The Consequences of Road Accidents

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 seen your friends or family driving irresponsibly? How can you be a better and safer driver and help others do the same?

Driver’s Education allows us to learn about the different ways that we can help reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving by making students learn what they should and shouldn’t do on the road. With Driver’s Education, you learn the rules such as what certain signs mean based on shape, color, image, what traffic light colors mean, or when to switch lanes, etc. These are courses that can be taken again and again. In fact, some people that join Driver’s Education are experienced drivers who might have had some sort of incident that resulted in them having to put their license on a temporary hold until they can be approved again and by a specific date. Or that person believes that he or she does not possess all the knowledge that they should. Therefore, they need to go back to the basics and refresh their memory. Or perhaps they feel there is more they can learn that they did not previously know. When you take this into consideration, there can be various reasons why or how any individual ends up in driver’s ed. But the important thing is that the result should be the same, which is to ensure that students have learned enough about road safety to then go on to practice once they’re on the road themselves. The outcome should be the same even if the reason for everyone learning is not the same.

Some of the steps that can be taken to reduce deaths is to first determine how these deaths occur. What kind of environment do they take, who is usually the driver and if the demographic of drivers matter? Are there any correlations? Or is this all merely coincidence? There’s a lot of research literature out there that we can synthesize, analyze and also provide evidence-based reasoning for why having this education is crucial. From that alone, one can try and determine some solutions. One of the main causes of car accidents is texting and driving. Many drivers respond to texts while driving because they think that nothing will happen to them. Even if they have been informed of the possible consequences of their actions, they tend to disassociate from themselves thinking that it is something that they will hear about but never come to experience for themselves. That false sense of security is often what leads people to be in these incidents. We have to begin to unlearn this and realize that we can be part of those statistics that seem very far from us.

Another reason that this can occur is sleepiness. It is possible to fall asleep on the road or become tired enough that one begins to close their eyes but blink them back open. This can also include head nods. Those brief seconds where the eyes close or the vision begins to blur can lead the person to making a turn or slow or speed up at a rate that could cause them to hit other cars, objects and/or people. This, unlike texting, is unintentional which makes it more difficult to prevent because it is not entirely in your control. Unfortunately, not everyone can begin the day with a good night’s sleep as any of us can have strenuous schedules that allow room for little sleep due to work, school, taking care of family, etc. One of the recommended ways to try and prevent this is to steer the car to the side and park in an area where you can rest. If you ever feel conflicted, think of it like this: a short nap can save a life! It is better to be safe than sorry after all. You can also try blasting the radio. Whether it’s music or a podcast or talk show, sometimes the best stimulation is sound. This doesn’t require you to do anything extra and your vision can remain focused on the road. It’s also a great way to pass time.

Although I have never been in an accident myself, I have come across people who have as well as seen people I personally know driving irresponsibly. Again, it all boils down to the belief that nothing will happen, that the chances are slim or that if something does, we will find a way to come out of it. In other words, the impact would not be severe. The first step is to explain to everyone that this can happen to them and have them recall all the times they were or almost were in an accident themselves or knew someone that was. The more personal you get, the more people are willing to listen.