Enjoy the Ride

What
steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

Enjoy
the Ride

Driving
takes us places, driving brings us pleasure.  But driving also
poses a huge threat to our society. For me personally, I hated
driving at first.  There is so much to pay attention to and it
is so stressful. Especially when your passengers are people you care
deeply about.  It is a huge responsibility, and that got to my
head when I first began getting behind the wheel. But as I got more
comfortable and received more experience, driving became a sort of
relief for me, and I enjoy an immense amount.  But there is a
catch. That risk is still there.  

I
live in Oklahoma, and there is very little public transportation
available, so most of the general population drives.  This isn’t
a huge issue, but it does not give the citizens the option to drive
or not. People are forced to drive in some of the most serious
conditions and life-changing times in their life.  When there is
a loved one in the hospital, or people have to get out of a sticky
situation, they are practically forced to drive, if they want to get
where they need to be. Those sticky situations could include things
like domestic abuse or a night out partying.  There are options
like Uber and Lift, but lots of people do not use them, for a variety
of reasons.

With
this high volume time of driving related deaths, you would think that
someone would do something about it.  But what? A possible
solution could be an increase in the amount of available and
affordable public transportation.  This would not only attempt
to aid the grim reality of mass amounts of people behind the wheel,
but also to help with other issues.  Those issues include the
people who can’t drive, like the elderly. They have to find a way
to make it to the doctor or work, but if they have physical
disabilities, getting to those places without reliable transportation
can be extremely frustrating.  Public transportations could be a
way to remedy this, and other public problems. 

As
fun as driving can be, allowing other options could be quite
beneficial to the general population, and keep our roads safer.