School Saves Lives

Approximately 3,287 people die due to car-related accidents. Not per
year, month, or week, but per day. It isn’t a surprise that the
majority of these people are between ages 15 and 44, which make up
the most technologically involved generations. In the United States,
nearly a quarter of all car accidents are caused by texting and
driving. The amount of deaths related to car accidents could be
significantly reduced if no one ever texted while they drove. A
common question people ask is, “If someone’s life could be so
easily spared, then why do people keep texting and driving?” Often
times, a texting driver doesn’t see the harm in taking just a few
seconds to reply to a seemingly important message. However, this
misunderstanding is significantly dangerous. Texting while driving is
the equivalent of shutting your eyes for five whole seconds while
stepping on the gas. Instead, ask yourself this, “Which is more
important: your text or your life?”

As I was getting my
driver’s permit, I remember studying a manual one day, and taking a
twenty-question test the next. To pass, I only needed to get sixteen
correct, which, in hindsight, does not include too much information
that would help me stay safe in routine driving. Yes, the manual
educated me on the technical rules of driving, but it did not
properly emphasize the importance of undistracted driving,
specifically. I believe the best way to prevent accidents from
happening in the first place is to educate new drivers about safe
driving techniques such as being attentive to road signs while
remaining undistracted, whether that means shutting your phone off or
lowering any music playing in the car. I think that the coursework to
getting your driver’s permit should be more rigorous than knowing
sixteen arbitrary facts about driving in a multiple choice format. I
think a certain drivers ed course should be taken before anyone is
let behind a wheel. This would not only encourage young drivers to
stay safe, but it would also benefit surrounding drivers by letting
them feel more confident being on the same road as a less experienced
driver. Being educated can have numerous advantages to drivers, but
will also protect pedestrians.

Coming from New York
City, I know accidents happen everyday, but I never believed it would
be likely to happen to someone I know. However, this assumption was
proven wrong when two distant relatives of mine were killed on a
highway in a motorcycle accident. The man in the colliding vehicle
fell asleep at the wheel, and therefore was obviously not paying
attention to the road.

In being aware of
the increasing statistics linking car accidents to risk of death, and
having a connection to a situation similar to it, I believe that safe
driving education will promote the well-being of drivers and
pedestrians alike.