Driving Safe

Luckily, I have never been in a car accident. Hopefully, I won’t but the odds are not good. There are about thirty-six thousand car accidents a day in the United States. I think there are a lot of reasons for this but mostly, I think people just do not think it will happen to them. Therefore, they are way less cautious than they should be. It is also very easy to be distracted. Cell phones are a problem with a lot of drivers and cause many unnecessary distractions.

I think one thing that has influenced me to be a more attentive driver is that when I was about ten, my mom had a friend that was killed in a car accident along with her eight-year-old son. I did not know them well, but to realize that someone younger than me could just die was very impactful. Of course, when I started driving my mom told me about a lot of people that she had known that were killed in car accidents and the situations surrounding them. She told me about her friend and how they did nothing wrong, but someone else did. They were just being impatient and trying to pass people when and where they shouldn’t and lost control of their car. The point of this was for me to understand that my decisions could have bad consequences and that she wanted me to realize that I could kill an innocent child. She wanted me to learn from them and understand that it can happen to anyone. I think that is not a lesson one can learn just by simply being told about it. Seeing the way two young people’s deaths had such an impact on so many people even distantly was something I will always remember.  

One thing I think that can be done is that every state should require driver’s education. I am from Maryland.  Drivers’ education is required here and Maryland is still notoriously known for our bad drivers, with good reason. People fly around here like they do not have a care in the world. Driver’s education here is virtual. I think it should be required to be in person. I also think that drivers in drivers’ education should have to look at photos of car crashes. Even the graphic one. That seems harsh but it is reality. They should have to learn about what happened in these accidents and what drivers were doing wrong. Drivers should be taught about how they have to plan their trips and be prepared when they are in unfamiliar areas. Oftentimes, I see people cutting across lanes at the last minute so they do not miss an exit or a turn. It is ok to miss a turn, you simply turn around when it is safe and go back. New drivers need to understand the consequences of their decisions. People also need to stay off their phones. If you look around when you are in the car, the number of people staring at their screens is astounding.

To be a better driver I have decided not to pick up my cell phone at all when I am driving. It is of course the law but even a second of having your eyes off the road can be detrimental.  I also try to drive defensively. Which means I do not assume that people will be doing what they are supposed to do and trying to be prepared for anything. I was taught to leave myself a way out in every situation. Somewhere I can move my car quickly if need be. To do this you have to know exactly what is going on all around you all the time. I also will not let myself give in to peer pressure or try to look cool in front of my friends by doing stupid things. These are things I was taught to do when driving by my parents and I really hope they help me to stay safe on the road. Being dead is not cool. Social media has become such a big influence in people’s lives that I think a social media campaign would be a great way to reach a lot of people. A program that shows situations and explains what could have been done differently might help if it was done in a way that drivers can relate to. It is hard to influence other people but I hope that just by being a good driver when people are in the car with me it will rub off on someone. Even one person could save a life.