Proactive driving

There is a risk every time you get into the driver’s seat that you will have an accident. Whether someone else will be the cause of the accident or you will be the cause. “In the United States, more than 232,781,797 million people drive in the US. The current drivers on the road range from 16 to 85 and older. (“Table DL-20 – Highway Statistics 2021 – Policy Federal Highway Administration”)”.

“With 18,510 accidents per day in the US more driver education would reduce the number of accidents in the US (Widmer)”. Some of the biggest causes of accidents are reckless driving, drunk driving, and driving while tired. While it is known that you are not supposed to drive reckless people still do and this is because only the individual can make the choice to be a better driver. As for drunk driving and driving sleepily, better driver education would help curb the number of accidents that are caused by falling asleep while driving, and drunk driving.

While everyone always says don’t drive drunk. Most people will think it’s only one drink I can drive while even one drink can impair judgment and reduce motor control leading to an increase in accidents. Accidents involving drunk drivers have a greater likelihood of the drunk driver surviving, due to the laxness of the body when it is under the influence. Leading a drunk driver that gets into accidents that leads to death, having the death of that person on their conscious. With drunk driving, there needs to be more normalization of either not drinking when going out if you know you need to drive or calling someone to come get you even if you have one drink.

Drunk driving is more readily talked about than driving sleepy. Driving sleepy is one of the most dangerous things people can do on the road. “Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories (Bryan & Peters, 2022).” Driving sleepy is worse than driving drunk because you don’t know if you are falling asleep. The general thought by most people who drive sleepy is I will have this coffee or this energy drink and will be ready to drive. Caffeine can be a way to stay awake, however, there is still a risk of feeling fine but your body being tired impairing your movements.

More education on the risk of driving sleepily would likely reduce the number of accidents related to falling asleep at the wheel. Education, like identifying signs of sleepiness could curb the number of accidents. Normalizing pulling over, locking your door, and going to sleep would help curb the number of accidents that involve people falling asleep at the wheel. While most people feel like this is not an option whether they feel that someone may break into their car or that they are in an unsafe place. Stopping the car in a spot that is out of the way of traffic and going to sleep when you notice that you are tired or possibly falling asleep at the wheel is the safest thing to do because you decrease your likelihood of a fatal accident.

While I would want to stress the importance of not driving sleepy, I have a personal story regarding a drunk driver. Back in June of 2015 my family and I went to my auntie’s wedding in a neighboring state. We walked to a restaurant for some food and were walking back to our hotel around 9. As we were walking across a crosswalk on a side street, a white Dodge Charger turned from another street while hitting the curb and came barreling at us. My fight or flight kicked in and I took off running. My stepmom, dad, and younger brother were all frozen like deer in headlights. Luckily the car swerved and didn’t hit my family. The guy apologized to us but when he was talking you could smell alcohol on his breath. So, while it’s not all the way known if the guy was drunk or not it can be inferred he was by the way he hit the curve and the smell of alcohol on his breath.

As someone who has started to drive one way, I can help prevent accidents by not driving late at night to prevent me from being sleepy. Another way I can prevent myself from having an accident is to never drive drunk and if I do ever drink find accommodations so that I can drink responsibly. I can help others drive more responsibly by informing them of the dangers of drunk driving and the dangers of driving sleepy. Lastly, I can lead as an example of how to conduct yourself on the road as well as how to take proper precautions.