Simply Safer Driving

When driving you must be alert and pay attention at all times because you may not be able to control what those around you do but you can control how you react. In order to become a good or even great driver one must be educated, most states have classes you can take or some kind of permit system where you have limited driving and certain rules before taking a test. If everyone paid more attention on the roads then deaths would go down drastically. So in order to make drivers pay more attention the penalty for texting and driving should be increased, and bars should be more closely monitored to ensure that intoxicated people do not get behind the wheel of vehicles. I have experienced both friends and family getting into accidents due to driving irresponsibly in ways of being distracted or speeding. I can take steps such as turning down the radio and turning off my phone before every trip so I can focus more on the road.

Educating drivers much like any profession or hobby one must be fully trained in all aspects of the act. Before driving any vehicle one should know the laws of the road the state I live in makes you take a written test on the rules of the road in order to get your permit. After that you have to drive for six months and do at least 65 hours of driving before taking your driving test. But before getting behind the wheel one should have to sit down and describe all the purposes of the buttons and knobs. These cars are dangerous and people need to know what they are doing so that no one gets hurt. I have always talked about the fact that even small cars weigh around 3 tons, they are dangerous and could easily kill someone if people don’t know how to properly operate one. That is why even though these tests are tedious and can be annoying they are absolutely necessary to keep people safe.

The leading cause of accidents in the world is distracted driving. People who are looking at their phones or just not fully paying attention to what is on the road. 10.7% of car crashes are caused by people who are driving distracted. 8% of those crashes are cell phone related. Which is why I propose we make a stricter and harder punishment for those caught texting and driving, as in the United States alone around 3,000 people a year are killed in car accidents caused by distracted driving. Another leading cause of accidents is speeding going faster than the speed limit is. We need to remember that when driving the speed limits are set to keep you safe. My proposition to help with this is urging people to just leave a little earlier. Even if you are running a little late it is not worth risking your life or somebody else’s. If we all just left a little earlier you don’t have to go over the speed limit to get where you are going on time and safely.

A couple of months ago I had the misfortune of my friend getting into an accident on his way to come pick me up to take me to school. When he texted me after the wreck saying that he got into a car accident I was so scared instantly thinking the worst and blaming myself. I thought that if he had not been worried about being late to pick me up it would not have happened. He was not driving irresponsibly but the person in front of him was, he hit their car in the rear end because they slammed on their brakes to make a turn without signaling. Thankfully by the grace of god nobody was injured in this accident. But make sure you are driving safely because you never want to be the reason someone’s mother or friends have to get that phone call if someone does get hurt or worse killed.

When driving it is imperative to keep the number of distractions in the area as low as possible. Radios in cars are great things, but they can be distracting. When you are driving you should turn them down so they are not super loud and distracting. When you are driving your phone should be the least of your worries. There are a couple of different steps you can take to make sure you stay off of your phone when you are driving. One thing you could do is just power it down, if it is completely off you can’t get notifications or phone calls. It would be like your phone is not even in the vehicle. Another option for if you need to have your phone on for some reason, is downloading an app that whenever you get a text or a call it automatically answers it saying that you are driving and will answer whenever it is safe. Another issue with unsafe driving is speeding. The only way to fix this problem is for people to pay attention to the road signs and follow them. This goes back to having a good education. You must know how to control the vehicle and the vehicle’s speed.

In conclusion the best way to reduce the number of deaths as a result of car accidents is for everyone to focus less on distractions and more on the road. You must remember that these vehicles usually weigh a minimum of 2 tons. They are very dangerous and could easily lead to someone’s death. We must have stricter testing processes and stricter penalties for those not following the rules of the road. Lastly, remember you do not want to be the reason that someone’s mom or best friends get that terrible phone call about their loved one getting injured, because you were driving irresponsibly.