Choices that can save lives

On January 14, the headline “3 killed, 3 hospitalized in wrong-way San Bernardino County freeway crash” was aired. An unidentified man was driving the wrong way and collided with a car consisting of a family of five. The two drivers died on impact, and a 16-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital and soon passed. This person’s actions will leave physical and mental scars, as a daughter’s and father’s life was taken that day. This reckless decision caused grief to flood the lives of the families that were affected by this accident. Not only will the family of five miss their loved ones, but the family of the other driver will miss their son. This tragic event could have been prevented if the driver had used his knowledge and privilege wisely.

Driving is an essential skill and a privilege that has become a necessity for daily life, even so, that does not mean it is safe. Vehicles are tools for which we have to be educated in order to operate properly. A resource given to help inform new drivers is a driver’s educational course. A driver’s education course is taken by many young drivers preparing to take on the road. This course guarantees that the people beginning to drive are well educated, and in doing so ensure the safety of others and themselves. Thus showing young drivers the responsibility of operating a car, and ultimately reducing the number of deaths caused by motor accidents.

I personally have not been in a car crash, but my aunt had driven irresponsibly as she was under the influence. This action resulted in her driving into another car and having to be rushed to the hospital. Thankfully my aunt survived as well as the other driver as they received minimal injuries, but it was still a scary experience. The constant worrying to see if a loved one has survived is not a situation anyone should experience, especially as it can be prevented. The decision one makes behind the wheel will not only affect that person but as well as the others around them. When it comes to driving it is best to think out the outcome of your decision before doing it.

Some steps that can be taken to reduce the high death rate of motor vehicle accidents are, always being in a mentally ready state to drive as well as always remembering to buckle up, no matter the distance. Many forget the importance of being in a healthy mindset before setting foot in the driver’s seat. Being in a harmful mindset may hurt you or even someone else, as the actions you make may not be completely rational. If you ever feel too exhausted to drive or in a depressed mindset it is best to not drive, or find a designated driver to drive for you. Even so, you can not prevent every accident, so it is important to stay safe and fasten your seatbelts. By buckling your seatbelt you are reducing the risk of death and injuries that may be caused by an accident. When you are in a car crash you come to an abrupt stop, in which your body continues to move while the car is stationary. This propels your body forward which can cause many major injuries, but the severity can be lessened by seat belts locking your body in place. These steps are crucial and could be the key decision in saving your life one day.

In addition, steps that I can take to ensure my safety while driving is being mindful of my surroundings and having patience. I live in Hesperia California and it is quite common to have people walk to places rather than drive, especially students. This can be a concern while driving as some pedestrians do not use crosswalks. Doing this, it can cause a driver to not see them and potentially hit them, or even swerve into another car. This can be prevented by watching my surroundings as I can ensure the safety of others as well as mine. Also, the roads are quite small and are constantly under reconstruction, and this causes traffic as Hesperia is heavily populated. With traffic being a daily occurrence it is easy to get frustrated and make irrational decisions, but it is important to have patience. By maintaining patience I can make the roads a safer place for everyone. There are many more steps to being a safe driver, but these steps are the start of reducing deaths caused by reckless driving.