A Look at Safe Driving

With so many people driving on the road every day, it is no secret that safety should be a top priority. Unfortunately, some people don’t value safety when driving as much as they should which can ultimately result in vehicle related accidents and even death. Since there are a concerning number of deaths that happen because of driving every single day, it is definitely a problem that needs to be thoroughly analyzed and we really need to start trying to figure out how to fix it. With this being said, I do believe that there are steps that can be taken to help educate current drivers about how to be safer on the road, and also educate people who haven’t reached driving age yet so that they will be safe and responsible drivers when they eventually take on that responsibility.

The main thing that I think would help reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving is educating potential drivers. I believe this could be done effectively by implementing courses about driver safety in high schools, and even middle schools. While I know that a lot of high schools offer driver education courses for students who are looking to get their license, sometimes they aren’t mandatory. My school is a great example of this because we do have a driving course that you can take and eventually get your license through, but very few people took it. Instead, a lot of students learned how to drive through their parents or other family members. However, the problem that arises with being taught by a relative is that they might not have the best driving skills to begin with. I think that a lot of the time it is assumed that people who have been driving for a long time are automatically good drivers, but this isn’t always the case. Even if they make small mistakes while driving, the person that they are teaching to drive might also start making those mistakes and it could result in an accident or even death. Therefore, I think that all students should be made to take driver safety courses from a young age so that they learn proper safety from people who are professionally trained to teach it. This way, students will grow up with the importance of safe driving sort of ingrained into them so that they will hopefully be safe drivers themselves.

While I do believe that education is one of the most important ways to prevent deaths caused by driving, I also think there are other things that can be done to help reduce the number of driving deaths. One thing that I think would be beneficial to drivers is reducing the speed limits and improving the condition of the roads. While I know that a lot of people like to get where they want to go as quickly as possible, I think that reducing the speed limit for a lot of roads could be beneficial because it would force drivers to slow down and really pay attention on more dangerous roads. For example, there is one road that I travel on frequently that is very windy and has a lot of tight turns. Despite these potentially dangerous conditions, the speed limit is surprisingly high and there have been many accidents on that road. I have even talked to one of the people that lives on that road, and she has said that there are constant accidents. Therefore, I think that it would be very beneficial to lower the speed limit, and there are probably many roads where that would be beneficial. I also think that improving the conditions of the roads would be helpful as well. While it might not seem like a big deal, I think that things like potholes, dips in the road, etc. can be very dangerous. For example, I drive a car that is very low to the ground and there have been several times where I’ve hit a pothole and realized how easy it would be for me to lose control of the car for a second. Though you might only lose control for a second, that is all it takes to end up in an accident. I really believe that if we cared more about the conditions of the roads we drive on and tried to make them better, then the number of accidents and deaths that happen in relation to driving would be reduced.

One of the main reasons I am so passionate about driver safety is because someone very close to my family was the victim of unsafe driving and ended up being killed in an accident. The summer before ninth grade, my mom learned the heartbreaking news that one of her best friends had died in a car accident. Her friend had gotten into the car with a driver who was irresponsible, and they unfortunately ended up crashing. Several years after this event, my mom had me and decided to incorporate the memory of her friend into my name. Now, my middle name, Anne, stands as a constant reminder to me of just how important it is to be safe when driving, and the dire consequences that can come as a result of careless driving.

Since safe driving is so important to me and my family, there are many steps that I take, and would encourage others to take as well, to become a better, safer driver. The first thing that I do is always follow all the rules of the road. I make sure I go to the speed limit, stop at stop signs, yield to oncoming traffic when necessary, etc. In my opinion, rules are set in place for a reason, and it really pays off to follow them. I also always make sure I am really paying attention to my surroundings. I constantly scan the sides of the road to make sure that there is no potential danger, I make sure to be aware of the other cars around me, and I never look at my phone or any other distractions. I have seen far too many people who have their phone in their hand when driving, and I think that it is a very unwise decision. Even if I get a phone call or a text, I will always wait until I’m parked at a safe place to answer it to make sure that I can give my full attention to the road and the task of driving safely.

All in all, I believe that there are many things that can be done to make driving safer and reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving. I think that education is one of our best bets in making the roads safer, but I also think that improving the condition of the roads and laws will really help as well. Overall, if we take the time to look into this issue more and analyze why these deaths are happening, I think massive improvements could be made and the number of deaths as a result of driving will greatly decrease. If we put certain steps into action, I am hopeful that we will be able to create a better, safer future for all drivers.