Safer Streets: A Guide on How to Drive Safely

One mistake can change you forever, one mistake can hurt others, one mistake can end your life. This is a common realization for those affected by unsafe driving. Unsafe driving has been a problem facing our American roadways since the first cars were created and steadily has always been increasing as time goes on. This has been caused by advances in technology and more ways for us to get distracted while driving. Unfortunately, these distractions only get more advanced, all the while, architects, car manufacturers, and state governments try their hardest to purge the threat. Tiny things like speeding, not wearing seatbelts, running red lights, following too close, making illegal u-turns, being on your phone, failing to yield, can all be stopped by personal choices and commitments, but when it comes to more addictive things it gets harder. Drugs, alcohol, phones, are all forms of distracted driving that are harder to stop on free will. These distractions not only cause harm to the recipient but also cause harm to the people around them. Many distracted drivers will get in accidents and end up hurting themselves and other people. Many distracted drivers will get DUI’s or seriously injure someone else, not only ruining their life but also ruining themselves by restricting education and future job opportunities. There are a few ways to stop these distractions, the best of which is getting help from other people, having pure concentration, and having an understanding of the roadways.

When having a concentration on the roadway one must clear their mind of all distractions. Unfortunately, this can be very hard to do in our time due to all the technology to distract us, but they need to do so is most dire. These distractions include phones, radios, watches, smart devices, accessories, and even people. These distractions lead to thousands of accidents and deaths a year. In fact, according to business professors Leslie Ramos and Priyanka Khandelwal at Texas A&M University, In 2017, 3,166 or 14% of fatal crashes were responsible for cell phone use. Cell phones are specially designed to keep you lured in, this can lead to many accidents involving people driving while on their phone because they simply cannot get off it. With watches and radios simply glancing down at them for a second or reaching to change the song can lead to one moment where you are not looking at the road. In a moment anything can happen, In a moment everything can change, at the moment you allow yourself to glance off the road, even for a second, allowing an accident to occur if something unexpected happens. Animals running on the road, a sudden brake of the car in front of you, and a stoplight suddenly turning red are all sudden events that happen while driving. At that moment, when you look off the road for a second anything can happen, leading to disaster.

Alcohol, drugs, and smoking are huge distractions for drivers both non-substance users and substance users, but having help from others helps people overcome this addiction and saves countless lives. Driving while on a substance is very common in the US and maybe more common than you think. In fact, according to Matthew Chambers, Mindy Liu, and Chip Moore, every 2 hours, in the US, three people are killed in alcohol-related highway accidents. They also state that an estimated 4 million US adults reported driving under the influence in 2010. Many of these can be prevented with help from others. In this sense the effect of the substance is the distraction while you drive, impairing you to use your senses and drive safely. This can be fueled even more by the use of substances while driving which enhances distracted driving. All over the country, addiction hospitals have been set up, helplines have been established, and help groups have been conducted to help people with addiction overcome them and many of these efforts have been successful in stopping these cases. In the case you can’t stop addiction or don’t want to stop using substances, sober friends can help by providing a ride home and ensuring the safety of you and others. Unfortunately, it is hard to get sober friends to drive for them because of their drunken, disillusioned state, but the state and private organizations are trying their hardest to help by putting up posters in bar bathrooms and making commercials showing the dangers of driving under a substance. Sadly, most people in need of desperate help will not get it until they are forced to under the law after they have already committed a distracted driving crime.

Like with what you are learning with this essay, one of the best ways to prevent distracted driving is to teach younger drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and how to drive correctly. In these courses, students learn the effects of substance abuse and the effects of using technology while driving. This can be further amplified by the students’ choice to partake in school-backed clubs. An example of one of these clubs, in Brandon Valley High School SD, is the Students Against Distracted Driving, or SADD. Unfortunately, these classes are not required so only people who want to and not everyone is getting this knowledge. The rest falls to the state and private organizations that created propaganda to promote safe driving. This can be seen through commercials and even posters put up in a local newspaper or grocery store. Some states will also take it one step further making the class “Drivers Ed” or drivers education, a required class before a driver’s license will be permitted. Allowing people to know the dangers of distracted driving makes it less likely for them to engage in those distracting activities because it gives them the knowledge of the dangers and therefore makes them less likely to engage in those life-threatening activities.

Driving safely is something often overlooked but its importance cannot be understated. Driving accidents are one of the major leading causes of death. So next time you think about looking at your phone for one minute, taking one more swig, or going fast, think about the people you could affect with your reckless actions. You can take classes, you can get help, you can listen to others, but, in the end, it comes down to your personal choice whether or not you want to be a safe driver. In the end, though, the best way to influence this will to change is through gaining knowledge, maintaining concentration, and getting help.

Works Cited

Salazar, Leslie Ramos, and Priyanka Khandelwal. “The Impact of Self-Control and Texting-Related Accidents on the Relationship between Mindfulness and Mobile Texting While Driving Behavior.” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behavior, Pergamon, 12 Jan. 2021, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847820305970?casa_token=RvYjhOCbkUMAAAAA%3AzQ4HZ5dzeFBEG_HuF9NEEo9WyulYlDGNZHt257Syo3hfqGsBEdZDJaAkQA8DR3vnEltDWi0tlSs-.

Chambers, Matthew, et al. “Drunk Driving by the Numbers.” Welcome to ROSA P, United States. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1 Apr. 2012, https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58345.