Being Safe Behind the Wheel

In order to reduce deaths caused by driving people must have a good, well-rounded driving education. A well-rounded education means teaching beyond the basics of driving; instructors must express the dangers of driving. If instructors do not tell driving students the entire truth of what driving actually entails, it can cause dangerous occurances to happen. With the proper knowledge, given by instructors, this allows for good decisions to be made. If the truth is not properly given then you face the risk of people getting behind the wheel while not understanding the dangers that may occur. This presents a large danger because the unknown terrifies most people. When terrified people (who are behind the wheel of a vehicle) face a problem such as a car accident or road rage they may react differently than if they were given the knowledge of what can occur while driving. It is very important that all drivers understand and accept the responsibility that comes with driving a piece of equipment that can cause a lot of harm.

To reduce the number of deaths caused by driving you must first look to see where the most problems lie. In Wisconsin, there are loopholes around certain laws that enable people to get away with driving illegally. There is a fix to this problem; better laws must be put into place. Some examples of laws that should be implemented are: a hefty punishment to those that drive with an expired lisence or with no lisence at all; large fines and or jail time depending on how many times the offense has occurred may help curb this behavior. Another law that should be implemented are harsher punishments towards people who have gotten behind the wheel while intoxicated with drugs or alcohol. The reaction time these people experience while their senses are toned down are much slower, this can cause more accidents. Additionally, harsher punishments should be inflicted upon those who are knowingly distracted while behind the wheel (texting, playing on their phone, etc.). Of course, these are only a few examples of some laws that should be changed. Yet, with more strict guidelines, there will be a major difference in the car accidents occuring. People will become more careful and cautious; in turn the amount of deaths caused by driving should be able to go down.

I have been in a car accident before. The car accident I was in took place around a year and a half ago during early March 2023. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. The accident took place in a highly congested area of traffic during one of the busiest times of the day. It was on a school bus route during the time school let out; the roads were filled with cars trying to get to their child’s school. Around 4 cars in front of me stopped; the first car in line was waiting to turn onto a side street. I was coming to a stop with plenty of space still in front of me (around two car lengths), and suddenly I was hit from behind. My foot slammed down to the floorboard on the brake pedal as I screamed and heard the rough screeching sound of metal on metal. My car was shoved into the car in front of me due to the speed of the car behind me. Police and ambulance were quickly dispatched to the area and the driver who hit me was recorded saying she had only looked down for a second, she had needed to grab her phone that had fallen onto the floor. She hit my vehicle going nearly 40 mph because she had looked away from the road. The car I was in was totaled; the engine had dropped down and nearly crushed me. I got a concussion that lasted for well over a year and for the first few days after the accident I could barely remember my name and birthdate. She had caused a 5 car accident and then tried to blame the entire accident on me for braking suddenly. It wasn’t a sudden brake, but she didn’t want to be at fault for the accident.

To be a safer driver on the road, I can stay focused on driving and not get distracted. I can follow speed limits and traffic patterns. I can drive the way needed depending on the weather; if there is heavy, slick snow on the ground I will drive slower and safely. If there is ponding, I will turn around and drive away. I will make the best judgment calls that I can, and I will do my best to remind others to follow these simple rules.