Continuing to Drive Safe

It
was a Sunday morning during the summer between high school and
college. I sat in the passenger seat of my friend’s car as he sped
along narrow mountain roads with no shoulders. We flew past groups of
cyclists out on their weekend rides. It was thrilling. As we drifted
around blind corners, I was curious and asked him how he knew there
wasn’t a cyclist on the other side. He shrugged. “I dunno.” My
heart dropped and I suddenly felt extremely uneasy. Throughout the
remainder of the drive, I repeatedly asked my friend to slow down. He
would comply momentarily, but within minutes, we would be dangerously
speeding along again. Fortunately, no accident happened, but since
that day, I started noticing all the monuments and wood crosses
littered along the sides of mountain roads marking sites of crashes
involving cyclists. Every time, I think of my friend’s nonchalant
shrug and blatant disregard for others’ lives. It haunts me. Since
that Sunday, to this day, I refuse to sit in his car.

As
drivers, we must realize that we are handling large pieces of
machinery that can hurt not just the people inside, but also anyone
unfortunate enough to be caught in its way. These machines should not
be taken lightly when consequences can be extremely severe. We should
all remember to take the time to slow down because we never know who
might be around the corner. If someone wants to experience the thrill
of racing, they should go to a track where the environment is
controlled and safety procedures are in place. Reckless driving in
public streets is a recipe for disaster, as evidenced by the
astounding statistic of 6,760 cyclists and pedestrians killed in car
crashes in 2017.

As
technology advances, we may see a decrease in these fatalities due to
an increase of vehicle safety features such as automated emergency
braking, blind spot and pedestrian monitors, and lane departure
warnings. Along with safety infrastructure such as streetlights and
sign postings, society can hopefully dramatically decrease cyclist
and pedestrian accidents.

However, technological advances are no substitute
for education and driver awareness and responsibility. Continuing
education is a tool used by many industries as a part of license
renewal, and this could be applied to driver’s licenses, too.
Continuing education could be a great way to not only keep drivers up
to date with new regulations and technology, but also to periodically
remind or re-educate drivers of safe driving practices. Over
prolonged periods time, drivers may get too comfortable and set in
their driving habits. These courses could be a way to get drivers to
periodically examine their own weaknesses behind the wheel and alter
their technique in order to create safer roads. Together, we, as a
society, can rise up to the challenge of eliminating unsafe driving
and preventing vehicle accidents.