Slow Down & Look Around!

Cassandra Higgins

Slow Down & Look Around!

In America alone there are almost 300 million motor vehicles registered to be on the road, but how many of those drivers remember that cars are dangerous weapons that should be driven with the utmost caution every time that they drive?

Although teenagers make up less than 8% of drivers in the US, motor vehicle crashes are actually the leading cause of death of teens in America. If driver’s education training was mandatory, there would be less accidents and fewer deaths. Studies have shown that by taking a class on driver’s education, drivers become more confident and comfortable behind the wheel due to the ability to practice driving with an experienced instructor. Driver education brings to light the importance of safe driving by teaching drivers all the necessary safety precautions, such as how wearing seatbelts and looking twice can save lives, how dangerous distracted driving is, and so much more that all drivers should be aware of every time that they drive.

To ensure the number of deaths is reduced, the first steps should be mandatory driver education classes for any inexperienced drivers. Teaching teens to drive is often left to a parent or guardian, which can lead to false driving techniques. To avoid vehicular deaths, two main factors must be considered: distractions and speeding. If distractions can be eliminated by teaching about the horrifying results of distracted driving, then drivers will finally realize that no matter how comfortable one gets with driving, distractions are still taking one’s eyes off the road; if they wouldn’t drive blindfolded, then they shouldn’t drive distracted. People also tend to speed as they get comfortable behind the wheel, but driver’s education can inform drivers of the fact that speeding doesn’t actually save much time at all. In some circumstances, going ten miles over the speed limit can only save about 2 minutes. Drivers should be taught that saving a couple minutes of driving is not worth their life or the lives of anyone else.

I have never been in a car accident myself, but my best friend flipped her car because she was texting while driving. She steered off the road, then pulled the wheel so hard that it sent her car rolling. She landed upright and was able to walk out completely unharmed, but her car was totaled and she realized how close she was to losing her life and taking the lives of others around her all because she didn’t want to wait 10 minutes to check her phone.

We can all do our part to be better and safer drivers by slowing down and looking around. Drivers should always be attentive of their surroundings, acknowledging speed limits, road signs, and the behavior of other drivers around them. By avoiding distractions while driving, lives will be saved, and this can be taught to all drivers before they even get on the road by offering affordable classes with reliable instructors.

Works Cited

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html