Crash Course on How Not to Crash

Have you ever been driving down the road and suddenly a song you don’t really care for comes on the radio, or Spotify, or whatever music streaming app you use. So you go to change the song. You look away for what feels like not even a second, and BAM! You’ve run straight into the person in front of you. This may seem like common sense to stay off your phone while driving, but sadly this is the cause of most crashes. In this essay, I will be going over ways you can be safe while driving, and avoid making those silly little mistakes. Such as: staying off your phone, paying attention to others around you, wearing your seatbelt, and abiding by all traffic laws.

To start off, stay off your phone. I know it’s tempting. You hear the phone ding, vibrate, or you just see the light come on because you think you got a notification. No matter what, do not look at that phone. Looking away from the road ahead of you could cause serious problems. You may rear end the person in front of you. You could be steering for the ditch not even realizing you were heading for said ditch. It only takes a split second for an accident to happen while driving on the road. Don’t let it be because you had to change that song.

Secondly, paying attention is a big part of safe driving as well. You could be at a four way stop. “Who goes next?” You may ask yourself. Well pay attention to who got there first, as it would be that person’s right of way. If you don’t know, try looking for who is going where. If the person in front of you is going right, then you can go right or straight. If the person is going right, but you need to turn left. Then you should let them go first. Also, when on the interstate you definitely need to be paying attention. You are on a big road with a lot of people going at high rates of speed. Pay attention to your blind spot, when merging into another lane make sure it is safe to merge, and always use your turn signal. Look for if someone else is trying to merge so they don’t hit you or vice versa. Even if an accident that is about to happen isn’t entirely your fault. It could have possibly been prevented if you were paying more attention to the other drivers around you.

Next, and probably one of the most important things. Wear your seatbelt. Yes, I know it may be uncomfy at times, or it’s digging into your neck, or something else like that. However, you would much rather have that than getting into a wreck and flying through your windshield. The seatbelt is there to keep you in place and prevent you from flying around the car during a crash and further hurting yourself. You have a much higher chance of surviving with lighter injuries than you would when you don’t wear it. It’s also the law. Want an easy way to avoid getting a ticket when driving? Then wear that seatbelt.

To continue, the MOST important thing is abiding by all traffic laws. Going the speed limit, stopping at all stop signs or red lights, letting the people at the crosswalk go when the thing says they can go. Not just those laws, but pulling over so an ambulance or cop can get through, or stopping for a bus if it is dropping a kid off at their home. Looking for the signs on the side of the road and making sure to prepare for whatever the sign is warning. There are a lot of traffic laws, but those are there to keep each and every drive on the road safe. Including yourself, please abide by them. And hey, that’s another way to avoid paying a ticket.

In conclusion, it is important to be safe when driving, most accidents happen out of nowhere and are very unexpected. But you can help prevent these accidents by staying off your phone, paying attention to other drivers around you in case someone else makes a mistake and you can avoid it, wearing your seatbelt to keep you in place to prevent further harm to yourself, and abiding by each and every law the roads have to offer. Follow these and I’m certain you’ll be on your way to being a safe and responsible driver.