The More You Know

Driving is not only a necessity in some places but a privilege. Living in a city with mass transit makes it even more of a privilege for me. A vehicle weighing upwards of 3500 pounds can be a lethal weapon if operated by the wrong hands. It needs to be operated by intelligent people who are capable of abiding by the rules of the road and are knowledgeable of road etiquette.

Passing a road test affords you a license to legally drive but road tests are based mostly on learned knowledge and not real time situations. Because they are given on limited street traffic it is not indicative of real driving conditions. Reaction time will vary and needs to be adjusted. Taking a defensive driving course not only benefits you on the insurance end but assures that you now have more of the skills necessary to avoid an accident that could potentially cost you or someone else’s life. The defensive driving course is an inexpensive way to give you the tools needed to perhaps save your or another person’s life. Avoiding an accident is much easier than dealing with the aftermath of a collision. From monetary issues to loss of life.

Obviously driving while intoxicated is not only illegal but also a sure way to have an accident resulting in either your or another’s death. Alcohol impaired driving is certain to cause an accident as many studies have shown and statistically have caused more deaths of drivers and pedestrians alike. A lot of people don’t think they are impaired simply because they are not staggering or falling down but just a buzz will be enough to make driving safely an issue. Sometimes a few drinks with dinner may seem like it is okay to drive but because everyone processes alcohol differently, one person may be fine while another wouldn’t be. In the event of an accident that occurs while intoxicated or over the legal limit and a person dies as a result there are serious criminal charges that will incur. Add to the fact that where I live it is legal to smoke marijuana and although not to drive high, there is no test to tell if you are impaired while driving. This is terribly dangerous and will in my opinion cause countless injurious accidents if not fatalities. 

Road etiquette is another issue that causes needless accidents resulting in injuries or deaths. Turn signals indicating the operator’s intent help to navigate around without the possibility of causing undo road rage.  People get frustrated with other drivers causing them to make foolish mistakes and therefore dangerous moves that result in needless collisions.

I have an uncle that had a very serious accident that thankfully did not result in terrible injuries but clearly could have. Annoyed that his lane was ending due to construction issues and the driver ahead of him was slow to merge into the next lane, he sped up to merge ahead of him. Unfortunately an 18 wheeler truck had the same idea. He was hit, spun around, hit another commercial truck and down an embankment. He was taken to the hospital but thankfully he was not seriously injured. He did however realize that in his haste he could have died that day. His car was totaled. This is one example that had a good ending but so many others end in disaster. 

Another issue is speed. Speeding kills.  Even if there is a serious accident especially with a pedestrian, the slower the speed the better chance of no fatalities. Posted speed limit signs are an indication of what speed is safe in what areas. Keeping within those parameters will help to avoid an accident. Changing lanes at a high rate of speed may cause another driver to react to the speeder causing him or her to swerve into other already occupied lanes.

New drivers are especially vulnerable since the only experience they’ve had with aggressive drivers is minimal at best. Taking drivers Ed or private driving school instruction helps because it put the new driver in real world situations like those with aggressive drivers. 

I know that there have been times when I had to realize that I am not the only one on the road and that not everyone has the same driving ability and confidence behind the wheel. It is important that people use the correct lane when needing to go slower than the posted speed limit thereby avoiding driver frustration. 

The more you know about how to avoid an accident the safer you and the people around you will be.