Practical guide to being a good driver, or at least a little more responsible.

Road safety education is a principal issue to reduce vehicular accidents. Road safety education is key to maintaining safety between drivers, passengers and pedestrians on public roads. In the United States, there is an alarming number of vehicular accidents every year. Six million vehicular accidents are reported each year, making this one of the main reasons for death. It is estimated that around 38,000 people die annually, which makes the United States the country with the highest rate of annual accidents in the world. (data according to the NHTSA) Many of these accidents are caused by the irresponsibility of drivers, whether it is speeding, not wearing a seat belt or a protective helmet, and even being under the influence of alcohol. To reduce these tragedies, it is necessary to be aware and follow traffic laws, as these are in place to keep the safety of individuals on public roads. It is also important to mention that both road safety education and road infrastructure are things that have to be taken into account to be a good driver, such infrastructures vary in different countries and occasionally become a problem when driving, such as in El Salvador that roads in rural places are very neglected and can become dangerous in the rainy season.

Traffic accidents are events that occur on public roads involving pedestrian or material damage, these can sometimes be serious and end up causing the death of involved people. There are many reasons why traffic accidents happen. One of them is speeding that is mostly affected in young men since they conduct these activities either for fun or for being under the influence of alcohol. That leads us to another main reason for traffic accidents and that is drunkenness. This and speed excesses go hand in hand since alcohol alters a person’s psychomotor abilities, causing them to react in a delayed way, lose track of time, or even lose consciousness. Causing them to inadvertently act dangerously on public roads, putting their lives and those of other people around them at risk. Another reason why traffic accidents happen are distractions, especially distraction by the use of the cell phone either sending text messages, calls or listening to music, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) drivers when using the cell phone while driving run a risk up to four times higher of suffering an accident. All these factors are caused by carelessness, irresponsibility or even lack of information on the part of the driver, but these accidents can be prevented if the traffic regulations are studied and duly complied with. Being aware of what is allowed and not allowed to do when we are behind the wheel. Letting others know the proper handling of vehicles and alerting the risks that involve small mistakes that we make and thus avoid traffic accidents.

Road safety measures are ways in which they aim to ensure the safety of people when traveling through public spaces. There are laws that allow safe interactions between pedestrians, drivers, and passengers. Drivers must follow three bases for safe driving, the first base is space management, if another driver is near us and makes a mistake, we will not have time to react to his mistake. It is safer to keep distance in case of any stumble. Another basis is the negotiation of intersections, U.S. law does not mention the right of way at intersections. The only thing it mentions is that we yield the right of way as necessary, for this we need to be very alert to all our surroundings and paying attention to the signs and streets. The third foundation is speed management. There is no single speed for all types of roads, the speed varies depends on the road conditions, traffic flow and visibility and even the weather conditions in which you drive. It is important to pay attention to the signs that mention speeds, school schedules and public places where many people travel to avoid accidents not only with other drivers, but also with pedestrians. Law enforcement keeps us safe and prevents harm to other people and prevents fatalities.

I would like to make a comparison of what the traffic laws are like and how people take these laws into account in two different countries that I have lived in, and that is El Salvador, and the country that I live in now, the United States. There is a dramatic difference in these two countries, normally Latin American countries are not strict with traffic laws (but they should). Many people are very “Vale Madres” as we say when driving, such as that people do not wear seat belts. Children under twelve can be without a seat belt for them and even traveling in the driver’s passenger seat. People can travel in the loading areas of trucks and trucks, in public areas it is crazy, everything is full, there is hardly any space for vehicles to pass, and pedestrians occupy the streets as stalls or even a place to sleep for the homeless. Although there are laws that prohibit these things, the people in charge of ensuring security often do not do their job and many people who learn to drive think that these things are normal. When they are not accustoming drivers to driving in a dangerous and risky way not only for drivers, but also for pedestrians. This was a big culture shock when I moved here to the United States, it seemed strange to me that everything was strict, and some things seemed absurd to me. As time went by, I realized that those things are necessary to keep the community safe on the roads, but there are still a lot of people who do not see what is happening here. Other people’s because they do not know the laws.

I, at the age of 19 still don’t know how to drive, but I did have a lot of related experiences on the busy Houston streets. I have cousins that I usually spent more time with them. I rely on them to drive me around. We would go back and forth, and they drive very fast for fun. At first, I liked to feel that sense of speed, even though I knew it wasn’t safe to do so. Until one of my cousins had an accident driving a motorcycle at high speeds and injured his leg. Another mistake that my cousins make when driving is using the cell phone while driving. It is very rare to see them without the cell phone, and many times I feel insecure knowing that they do not pay attention to what is around them. Another experience was when my father hit another driver who was in front of us for not using his turn signal. I noticed my father did not keep enough distance to react to the other driver’s mistake. And the most normal thing I see in my family, especially with uncles, is drunkenness, many of my uncles and cousins say they don’t feel the effects of alcohol when they must drive after a party, but you can tell that they don’t have their senses active. The only people I can get a clear picture of proper driving are my parents, they always tell me the things to do and avoid when I’m behind the wheel.

I have learned a lot as a passenger. When it is finally my turn to drive, I plan to be more responsible with safety measures such as wearing a seat belt, keeping distance between other vehicles, being aware of my surroundings, and being aware of the different functions of a vehicle and its use, in addition to considering the weather conditions and the conditions of a road. As a teenager, typically, cell phone use is a constant issue. For me however, I hope not to be typical. I hope I can resist the urge to talk or text while driving. Not being a person who drinks alcohol or uses other substances I would not have a problem or worry about that, so it is good to know that I am aware when I drive, respect traffic signs and their speed limits, with all this in mind I can be sure that I will make a smooth and safe trip for me as a driver, for my passengers and people around me.

With this we can conclude that road safety education is something serious. That we should not be afraid to take it lightly when driving. Be responsible on the journey being aware of the laws and regulations required to have a safe driving on the roads, looking out for myself, for the people who are with me in the vehicle. With the other drivers and pedestrians that we can meet. Also, that governments take into account the maintenance of the roads so that this cannot be a problem when driving, as well as good road signage as well as the condition of the streets, all this to have a safe trip and to be able to enjoy more calmly many experiences when visiting many other places that vehicles allow us to reach.