Eyes on the Road

“Keep your eyes on the road” is a statement that I have heard time and time again when I was learning to drive and even after I had my license. It was stressed in my driver’s education classes and repeatedly by my parents, grandparents, other family members and friends. When you think about it though, this is an essential statement that we must always think about when we are driving.

In my sophomore and junior years in high school, I had the opportunity to be enrolled in the driver’s education program at my high school. The teacher that we had was not only informative, but provided us with the constant reminder of being safe on the road. Whilst he knew that we were teenagers and we essentially “knew it all”, he had a way with teaching us that just made things resonate and hit closer to home.

In the classroom, with my own driving experience and with that of my parents and grandparents, I have learned some very variable steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. First off, while we all may feel like we are good drivers because we are just briefly checking our cellular phones, we must remember that using our phones for just a brief second is a leading cause of accidents. My personal recommendation is to place your cellular phone out of arms reach when driving. In doing this, this will greatly reduce the temptation to check texts, navigate your way when driving or search a website.

A second step that can taken is to avoid an accident and an untimely car-related death, is to be aware of all of your surroundings in the areas in which you drive. In the area that I live, there are children and other pedestrians, deer, small animals, large animals, and construction all around the area. To the previous point that I made regarding keeping your eyes on the road, this is a necessity when it comes to not only the demographics in which I live, but is likely relevant to many other areas.

A third step is to have the proper and effective eye and car equipment, such as sunglasses, a sun visor, functioning wipers, when driving. Due to the fact that many areas around our country experience either sunny, rainy, foggy or rainy conditions, it is important to have the proper attire and an operational vehicle to prevent accidents.

Still another step is to keep your music in the vehicle at a level where you are able to hear the other vehicles, especially emergency vehicles, pedestrians, animals and construction going on around you. While all eyes on the road with help curtail accidents, keeping the volume level on your vehicle at a low level will ensure that you are able to operate your vehicle with limited distractions. As a result of these steps being taken, one can reduce or hopefully eliminate the risk of being in an accident or the unfortunate death of someone or something.

While I have not personally been in an accident, at a young age, my mom and her sister were in an accident that changed their lives forever. Even as both always wore their seatbelts, there was one instance when they were on a family vacation, that they did not. This ultimately led to the passing of my mom’s sister and the direct correlation of death due to non-use of a seat belt.

In addition to this accident, in driving in the car with friends, I have seen that some are distracted by their phones when they are trying to navigate a new area or choose not to utilize their seatbelts. In an effort to try to save their lives and others, I have shared my mom’s story with them, which has helped bring to light the importance of using a seat belt either while driving or in the passenger seat.

With the limitation of cell phones, focusing on the road, having the proper eye and car equipment, manageable volume levels of music and usage of seat belts, I am of the opinion that this will greatly reduce accidents and the deaths of individuals while driving. My hope is that people realize how important their lives area and the lives of others to know that one quick look away from the road could negatively impact lives forever.