“Drive Safe, I Love you!”

“Drive safe, I love you!”, these are the words that have formed a habit of falling from my lips anytime someone I love steps into a vehicle. Some may say it’s cliche, but quite frankly I see it as a necessity. Unfortunately, in modern day the risk of dying due to a motor vehicle crash is significantly higher than in previous years. According to the National Safety Council, the chances of dying in a motor vehicle crash is 1 in 103. In the United States alone during the year 2020, there were 228,195,802 licensed drivers. During the same year there were 35,766 fatal motor vehicle crashes which led to 38,824 deaths. The sad reality is that a great number of these fatalities could have been prevented by these licensed drivers furthering their comprehension of driver education and safety.

Driver education is fundamentally important information to have before gaining access to a motor vehicle. The material provided in these courses help the prospective driver to understand both the rules and dangers associated with driving. Oftentimes these courses even provide on-road experience for the student driver to allow them time to learn the appropriate ways to act in each situation. The learning curve is exceptionally large with driving as it takes time to learn to be 100% aware of your surroundings. Having this information along with passing the required exams is crucial to maintain the safety of all drivers on the roadways.

It is time to take the necessary actions to reduce the number of lives being claimed by motor vehicle crashes. Currently only 32 of the 50 states in the USA require driver education courses to be completed by new drivers prior to obtaining their license. This leaves 18 states, including my own, in which not all drivers are obtaining this valuable life saving information. The first step would be to legally require drivers education courses to be taken before pursuing a learners permit and driver’s license. By mandating this information be provided, we increase the comprehension of safe driving all around. Another effort would be to minimize distracted driving. Despite it being illegal, the use of hand held electronics while driving is insanely popular. Nearly every time I am out driving I see an insurmountable amount of people using their cell phones while their vehicle is moving. This usage of cell phones completely distracts from the task of driving, ultimately creating an unsafe environment for everyone on the road. Over 15% of all police-reported motor vehicle crashes involved distracted drivers. Eliminating this distraction will greatly lower the deaths associated with vehicles. Lastly, we come to the problem that claims the most lives in crashes each year; driving under the influence. 30% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers with a BAC (blood alcohol content) of 0.8 or higher. In the year 2020 11,654 people were killed in these crashes that are extremely preventable. Any use of drugs or alcohol while driving dramatically increases your risk of crashing. This increase is due to the way these substances affect your motor skills and reaction times. Studies show that a BAC (blood alcohol content) of 0.8 decreases your reaction time by an average of 120 milliseconds. This delayed reaction decreases the safety of not only that driver but the surrounding drivers as well. Fixing these issues, we’d be able to save ten of thousands of lives every year.

Personally, I have never been involved in a car accident. However this is a very predominant issue in my community. My freshman year of high school there was a group of three boys who were involved in a car crash. All of them were left with severe injuries and led to the driver losing his life. When taken to the hospital it was revealed that all three boys were under the influence of alcohol. The driver was severely over 0.8 BAC (blood alcohol content). The other two boys were left with life altering injuries including a broken pelvis, brain damage, etc. Police stated that if the driver were to have survived he would face jail time. It was very tragic and a severe loss for our community.

A step that I can take to be a better and safer driver is to vow to never drive under the influence. As I venture further into my education as a college student, I need to maintain a focus on safety. Despite the typical “college party” scene, there is never a reason to drive drunk. Along with this, I will also take steps to ensure that my friends do not drive under the influence of alcohol or other mind altering drugs. Remembering that getting in a car with a drunk driver is just as dangerous as driving drunk is key. I plan to continue spreading awareness for driving safety and sharing my knowledge on safe driving habits.