Name: Mark M Habeb
From: Antioch, Tennessee
Votes: 0
As
both a driver and older brother, safety on the roads is very
important. Before I read the information on this website, I did not
realize how many people had died due to car accidents. Being a native
of Tennessee, it is my opinion that licensed Tennessee drivers are
not very skilled or safe on the roads. Thus, I have discovered some
solutions to rectify this terrifying problem.
First,
driving could be safer with the use of technology by making sensors
that are more advanced available in all cars. Currently, some cars
have this kind of technology available, but it is not always
affordable. However, government could fund the installation of this
technology to reduce the purchaser’s burden.
Second,
I conducted an independent survey and asked people the average time
they took on their driving test to receive licensing. The average
time for each person was 3-5 minutes. I also asked the location of
their actual driving test. Most respondents drove in area with little
or no traffic and pedestrians. As a result, I concluded that most
drivers are not equipped to handle high traffic and high pedestrian
areas. To combat this problem, drivers testing should be given in
both low and high traffic areas to evaluate how drivers would react
in a variety of situations. This testing could also set a trend for
other states and reduce driver-related accidents nationwide.
Another
way to keep roads safe is by improving road conditions. Potholes are
created when water that has fallen into the cracks of the road are
frozen in those cracks and expand the while in the concrete and
weaken it. When a car drives over these damaged roads, potholes
enlarge. A current solution that is being considered is a concrete
design that absorbs water much more efficiently than regular
concrete. If the government helps fund the production of this type of
concrete on large-scale potholes will be less prevalent.
Lastly,
a better “cushioning” system’, for cars is another idea. This
idea came from a personal experience in a car accident. When I was
ten years old, I was in a car accident and hit my head on the back of
my mother’s seat. I had horrendous headaches for the rest of the
day. My mother’s airbag system did not activate. She was hurt and
taken to the hospital. This gave me the idea of the big cushion
system that activates around rovers when they are landing on a planet
in outer space so when they hit the surface of the planet they do not
sustain damage. If a car were equipped with this feature that
activates on impact, it would help absorb the impact and activate an
advanced air bag system inside the car.
Even
with all of these advancements, would we really be safer? My answer
to this question is yes, absolutely. We should push ourselves and
others to ensure the safety of our roads and the people travelling on
them.
