Being Safe Behind The Wheel

Being
Safe Behind the Wheel- Dorine White

Whenever
you drive, your choices affect not only yourself but other drivers on
the road. It is essential to make safe decisions while driving so
that you can protect yourself and others from danger. Steps that can
be taken to reduce deaths related to driving include not drinking and
driving and no texting while driving.

According
to drunkdrivingprevention.com, one out of every 121 licensed drivers
were arrested for drunk driving. Yikes! However, an arrest is not the
only reason to not drink and drive. When you drink you are a hazard
to everyone around you. Your decision-making skills are affected, and
your ability to drive is impaired. At nhtsa.gov, it reveals that
every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving
crashes. When you decide to drink and drive, you are taking your life
and the lives of others into your own, unstable hands. Make the safe
choice, don’t drink and drive.

As
a human being, I am sad to see the many lives lost due to drunk
driving. Numbers show that more than 10,000 people are killed
annually. People should care because the loss of life is 100%
preventable. In this day and age, the information is out there.
Anyone who takes drivers ed in America learns about what
can happen when you drink and drive. Yet, it still happens. No one
needs to die. We can prevent it!

Let’s
make alcohol harder to get when you are young. Let’s stop this
culture where people think it is cool for youth to drink at a party
or get wasted at a friend’s house. Denial is not an option when you
have a teenager. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) stats show that
kids who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an
alcohol-related crash. Be proactive and teach your children as young
as possible about the dangers of drinking and driving. Have open
conversations where your child can speak to you without fear of
repercussions.

A
teenager’s brain is still developing. The prefrontal cortex that is
responsible for a teen’s ability to plan and think about the
consequences of actions, solve problems, and control impulses is
immature. If they are drinking, their actions and decisions are
already compromised.

Texting
is another concern when it comes to driving. A person needs to focus
on the road to stay safe. If a person is reading texts, they are
dividing their attention. If they are texting, it is even worse
because their hands are off the steering wheel. According to
Thezebra.com, there were over 391,000 distracted driving crashes in
2017, and millerandzois.com shows texting while driving caused 3,500
deaths last year. The safest decision to make is to put the phone
down!

If
people make safe driving decisions, it will save thousands of lives
each year. All of the deaths that occur because of impaired or
distracted driving are preventable. Please decide now to make a safe
choice!