Name: Blake Steven Von Bokern
From: Bloomington, Indiana
Votes: 0
“In
the Driver’s Seat”
If
you
were alive on September 11, 2001, the tragedy of the Twin Towers is
probably ingrained in your brain forever. Most people can remember
where they were and what they were doing at that time of despair when
over 3,000 lives perished. But most are unaware that approximately
every 11.3 days another 9/11 takes place. An average of 34,000 people
die each year due to negligent driving, in the United States alone.
Driving is a necessity which involves risk. Is there a way to
decrease the risk of harm and fatality and increase the protection of
our citizens? Even though so many people die as a result of driving,
we can greatly decrease the number of deaths in our country by
becoming educated, safe drivers.
In
order to decrease the number of deaths on the roads, we must become
educated drivers. If you don’t know the rules of the road, then how
can you obey them? You can educate yourself to drive safely by
observing a trustworthy authority, asking a parent the rules of the
road, and by taking an online class or attending a driving school.
It’s important to know the rules of the road and abide by them to
keep everyone safe. Statistics show that taking a driver’s safety
class can reduce someone’s fatality risk by 50%, an alarmingly high
number.
After
becoming an educated driver, you will also need to implement what you
have learned to become a safer driver. How can we become safer
drivers? Most deaths are due to not wearing a seatbelt, drunk
driving, and distracted driving. Over 45% of people who died from an
accident were not wearing seat belts, 28% from drunk driving, and
8.5% from distracted driving. This is to say 81.5% of traffic related
deaths are caused by not being safe. The effects of unsafe driving
can lead to generations of pain. Losing a loved one, a friend, or
mentor is something that you will never forget.
I
am one of the lucky few; I haven’t lost anyone I love to a car
accident. However I know for many people, that is not the case. While
I do not know the pain it causes, I know I will not be the cause of
someone else’s pain. My family has personally taken the steps to
become safer drivers by obeying the rules of the road to the best of
our ability. If you remember the horrific day in September, you would
do anything to stop it, but what are you doing to stop the horrific
events that happen everyday? The results of becoming safer drivers
would radically change the number of traffic accidents and help
prevent an everyday 9/11. After becoming a safer and more educated
driver, you will confidently be ready to experience the driver’s
seat.
