Let’s Drive to a Safer Future

In my small town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, a teen couple was rushing on the way to school. The feeling of being potentially late to school is relatable for most teens, so in the moment, speeding doesn’t seem so bad. However, the teen girl’s fate became fatal as both of the highschoolers crashed into a trailer truck whilst attempting to go around it. When I drive on that road, I ensure that I’m as safe as I can be, along with ensuring my safety on other roads. After the tragic incident, I hope that others in my area and around the country can understand how important driving safety, knowledge, and attentiveness is to avoid accidents.

I believe that the first step to becoming a safer driver is proper education with a trusted driving institution. Where I reside, I’ve had many conversations with several teens that have admitted to driving alone with only a permit license. Maryland.gov states that: “Sixteen year-olds have by far the highest crash risk of drivers of any age and making them 10 times more likely to be involved in a crash than an adult.” (MVA) With that in mind, I think that it’s very unsafe to drive without a driver’s license, which is obtained after several hours of driving school. Although a permit shows that you have some knowledge about the road, taking driving classes is very important. With the proper education about the road, accidents could happen less, so I encourage teens to wait.

Another important factor to driving is staying alert to decrease the probability of accidents. One of my closest friends told me he got into a car accident by looking at his GPS too intensely instead of paying attention to the road. In turn, he crashed his car on our most dangerous highway after swerving. Although technology has advanced our driving experiences as people, sometimes the attention it requires can be almost fatal. “Distracted driving is a factor in 27% of all crashes, according to data from End Distracted Driving (ENDDD) and is a factor in about 20% of car accident injuries..”  Due to technology, I would say that a decent amount of people get distracted by who’s texting them, the instructions on their GPS screen and so much more. I think the best way to be more aware while driving is to study the route that you are deciding to take before getting on the road. Understanding how the route operates and the best times to drive, could be an easy way to stay focused, as you’ll be less worried about looking at a screen in your car.

An excess use of speed is also an unsafe practice while driving. On a rainy day, a friend of mine drove at a whopping speed of 100 mph. Although I got home in one piece, as a passenger I felt uneasy and unsafe when I got out of the car.  “The chances of death, disfigurement, or debilitating injury double for every 10 mph over 50 mph that a vehicle travels.” (NHTSA) If we apply this logic to my passenger experience with my friend, I was 10x times more likely to get into an accident from the time I left my school to the time that I got home! Driving in the rain adds another layer of unsafety on top of driving fast. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) analyzes accidents in relation to weather climate. CHP states: “there is a noticeable increase in traffic-related incidents by up to 50% on rainy days compared to dry days.” Overall, I was at such a high risk of getting into a terrible accident, all for the sake of just getting somewhere a few minutes earlier than intended? Given the risk factors that tie into driving way above the speed limit, I believe that excessive speed is not worth the trouble and should not be utilized unless needed if you want to become a safer driver.

In conclusion, accidents do happen as we are only human. We can sometimes forget how our actions on the road truly affect us and the people we transport. However, even with our flaws as people, there are many ways that we can prevent accidents to the best of our abilities. Managing speed usage, getting proper driver education from a driving institution, and being attentive are ways to avoid casualty. I hope that young drivers can understand the importance of safe driving, so that we can lead ourselves to a safer future.