Name: Abigail Bui
From: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Votes: 0
Becoming
Better Drivers
Motorized
transportation has become vital for economic development and
enhancement in societies. Although traffic accidents in developed
countries, like France and the U.S., have been decreasing in recent
years, they are still the leading cause of hospitalization and death
among adolescents. Cognitive impairments, which are most
impressionable to adolescents, can lead to future health conditions
and repetitive risky behavior (Norwegian
University of Science and Technology).
Many researchers
have alluded to this in hopes of explaining the high reoccurrence
rate. Mobile impairments are too a concern for millions find
themselves enduring dependent or uncomfortable lifestyles. To put it
simply, traffic accidents are a great enigma to public health and
safety.
There is an abundance of
education and regulations regarding driver safety, but efforts that
go into implementing those regulations fall short. An overwhelming
78.5% of traffic accidents occur at fault of the driver, not external
factors like weather or pedestrians (Gopalakrishnan).
Because the problem is
truly generic, as many friends of mine have been in accidents. There
has to be multidisciplinary action taken and approved by the bulk of
society, otherwise risky behavior among drivers will continue at an
increasing rate.
To
increase the effort, the law can no longer go uncompromised. Those
who drive carelessly need to be recognized by law enforcement as a
danger to public safety. Although resources are short and can be put
towards to what some people call “better causes,” not many
movements have been successful without government regulation. Despite
the controversy, the earth’s atmosphere would have been completely
degraded by now if it hadn’t been claimed an international crisis
and steps hadn’t been taken to outlaw the use of aerosols etc.
Cell
phone use is indisputably the main cause of distracted driving. Not
only are adolescents undergoing transitional phases, making them less
likely to focus on the road and more on their surroundings, they,
along with everyone, experience stress to keep in touch with their
family, friends, and places of work. Not all states and countries
regulate the use of cell phones while driving. In order to
significantly reduce the risk of traffic accidents, further action
and regulation should be in place. Governments should also subsidize
some app companies to prevent its users from using the apps while
driving. Some apps who have adopted these policies by themselves are
Pokémon Go and Waze.
Public
awareness is also key. Although there are many courses, like drivers
ed. and government sponsored commercials, the issue is not pressed as
a threat to public health as much as other things have been, like
cigarettes for example. Gopalakrishnan,
from the department of community medicine in SRM medical college,
states that developing awareness amid health care professionals and
enticing them to further educate and encourage the general public to
follow the necessary driving habits would be of great value. Not only
would it decrease the risk of traffic accidents, it would increase
the sense of responsibility of citizens to the general public’s
health at their own will.
