Doing What I Can to Make the Road Safer for All

Doing
What I Can to Make the Road Safer for All

Driving
is something almost everyone will do at least once in their lifetime.
Due to the high volume of people who drive on a daily basis, the
number of deaths related to deaths is also expected to be a high
number, but it shouldn’t be as high as it is, at about 34,000 per
year.

One
thing that should be done in an effort to lower the number of deaths
resulting from driving is emphasizing the importance of driver
education. What is learned during Drivers Ed is some of the most
important material that can be learned in someone’s lifetime.
However, it is clear to see that people do not take the material as
seriously as they need to be. If just the education was taken more
seriously, the deaths could be cut in half. That number is still very
large, but it is a start. Not only should the material be taken more
seriously, it needs to be taught in more detail over a longer period
of time. A short six weeks is not enough time for someone to learn
all they need to about being safe while driving. If the material was
to go more in depth, and relate more to the statistics and the
personal side of driving related deaths, it would be taken more
seriously by the teachers, the students, and the parents. A more
serious look at the safety of driving would drastically decrease the
number of deaths.

There
are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of driving
related deaths. The first one is increasing the importance of driver
education. Another step that can be taken is increasing the number of
lanes on high speed and high traffic roads. This is currently being
done in some areas, but it needs to be done in all areas and should
be done right from the beginning, not an add on at a later time. This
would decrease the number of cars right next to each other and would
give more reaction time for other drivers if something bad were to
happen to a car ahead of them. One last step that could be taken is
increasing the number of police patrolling an area. This would help
in two ways: slowing people down and decreasing reaction time to a
crash. People tend to slow down when they see a cop, even if they
aren’t speeding. Decreasing speed would decrease the number of
accidents, as well as decrease the damage done in an accident. More
police would also decrease the time it takes to react to a crash.
Reaction time plays a crucial role in saving lives, and making the
time shorter would increase the chances of survival for those
critically injured in the crash. Multiple steps can be taken to
reduce the number of deaths related to driving.

I
have experienced two car accidents in my life. Fortunately, no
tickets were issued and no one was hurt. They were actually 13 days
apart from each other. The first one to happen was my fault. I was on
my way to school and I hit a patch of ice and slid into a car waiting
at the stop sign. Luckily, no one was hurt and no severe damage was
done. The lady I hit, as well as the officer, were both very nice and
considerate to me. Ever since that day, I have majorly decreased my
speed when rounding corners and I also tend to stay in slower speed
areas if possible, especially during the winter. The second accident
was not my fault. I was fully backed out of my stall at a gas station
when someone put their car in reverse and backed right up into my
rear driver side door. The person who hit me claimed full
responsibility. What I learned from these two crashes is that
sometimes you do everything in your power and bad things still
happen. Luckily, these were both very minor accidents and no one was
injured.

There
are multiple steps that I can personally take as a driver to make it
safer for everyone. One is always monitoring my speed, staying at the
limit in all areas. This will help reduce reckless driving from
myself and others. Another thing that I can do is to continue to
always turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’ on my phone when driving. This
eliminates the notifications I get while driving, which decreases the
amount of distracted driving. One more thing that I can personally do
is turn my music down while driving. This will help me keep my full,
undivided attention on the road, helping to decrease reckless
driving. I also encourage others to do these three things, as well as
others, to help decrease the amount of distracted and reckless
driving, decreasing the number of driving related deaths.