Name: Rebecca Wolff
From: Dade City, Florida
Votes: 0
The
Importance of Safe Driving
By
Rebecca Wolff
When
I began learning how to drive, the first thing my dad told me was
this: driving is the most dangerous thing you will ever do. He told
me I should never take getting somewhere safely for granted. Until I
got my license and drove by myself for a while, I didn’t fully
understand the implications of his words. Statistics show that young
drivers are more likely to be involved in serious traffic accidents;
this is because they are inexperienced and haven’t fully developed
the skills necessary to be the safest driver possible. Driver
education, whether it be in person or online, is a valuable asset to
all drivers, but especially young ones that are prone to fatal
accidents. It teaches us the basics of driving and brings up various
scenarios we may find ourselves in on the road. Without this
education, we would be clueless to the rules of the road and further
endanger ourselves and others.
However,
even with drivers ed being pretty widespread, there are still a
lot of fatalities caused by driving. So what else can be done to
reduce these deaths? There are two leading causes of fatal accidents:
texting while driving and drunk driving. Below are two simple tips
that help resolve these leading issues.
Tip
#1: No text is that
important.
1.6
million crashes are caused by texting while driving each year and
390,000 injuries occur in these crashes. 21% of teen drivers involved
in fatal accidents admitted to being distracted by their phones while
driving. These statistics are startlingly high for a mistake that is
easy to avoid. Just put your phone down; no text is important enough
for you to lose focus and endanger yourself and other drivers. A lot
of newer cars enable you to connect your phone via bluetooth so that
you can call and text handsfree. If your car doesn’t have this, put
your phone on silent and throw it in the backseat.
Tip
#2: Have a designated driver.
28%
of all fatal accidents in the United States are caused by drunk
driving; 10,500 people died in 2016 because of it. Those under the
influence of alcohol are prone to swerve erratically between lanes
and have difficulty judging distances and reacting quickly. Aside
from the obvious dangerous situations it creates on the road, drunk
driving is illegal in all 50 states. In my home state of Florida, it
is classified as a first-degree misdemeanor and people who do it can
be charged up to $1,000 fine and serve up to 1 year in jail for a
first offense. It is very important to drive sober or have a
designated driver to bring you home. If you don’t have one, call
someone to pick you up. The people who love you would much rather be
woken up late at night than lose you in a car accident.
Driving
is a huge responsibility; it is important to be focused and cautious
at all times when you’re behind the wheel. Driving really is the
most dangerous thing I (or you) will ever do, so be safe out there!
Sources
“Drinking and Driving: A
Serious and Deadly Crime.” Alcohol Rehab Guide,
https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/crimes/dui/.
“Impaired Driving: Get the
Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Mar. 2019,
https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/impaired_driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html.
Mayhew, D R, and H M Simpson.
“The Safety Value of Drivers ed and Training.” Injury
Prevention, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 1 Sept. 2002,
https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/8/suppl_2/ii3.
Nolo. “Florida Drunk Driving
Laws, Penalties, and Consequences.” Dui.drivinglaws.org, Nolo,
15 May 2019, https://dui.drivinglaws.org/florida.php.
“Texting and Driving Accident
Statistics – Distracted Driving.” Edgarsnyder.com,
https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html.
