Safe Drives Save Lives

Driving is a huge responsibly, and sometimes people on the road fail to realize this. Not only are you in control of your own life, you personally affect the life of anyone in the car with you or in the cars around you. Each year, around 34,000 peoples lives are taken due to a fatal car accident. There are many causes of car accidents, some intentional, but most are accidental. Drivers either aren’t paying proper attention to their surroundings, or they are not abiding by the rules of the road. Either way, people need to take driving more seriously, as one slip up can cause a life to be over in mere seconds. If every new driver, and veteran drivers as well, took the time to make sure they knew the rules of the road and the importance of keeping your full attention on the road at all times, then maybe we would see less fatal car accidents a year.

Every new driver takes a road safety course before they are even allowed out on the roads. However, sometimes these new drivers feel that what they are learning is not important, or they feel that they already know how to drive safely and what to do on the road. These new drivers might not take most of what they learn to heart, and this is when a person is more prone to get into an accident. Driving instructors and teachers need to be able to let their students know the absolute importance of staying focused on the road, which should include what to do if you cannot stay focused. Not only should we be teaching younger drivers to pay attention to their surroundings, but we should be telling them what to do if they can’t. We should also let them know that it is perfectly acceptable for them not to drive or to pull over if they know that they are not going to be able to focus, no matter the reason. It is also a good idea for veteran drivers to go over the rules of the road again from time to time. It’s better to refresh their memory, because sometimes if you have been doing something for so long, you may sometimes make a slip up without even realizing it.

Luckily I myself have never been in an accident, but I have had a few run ins with people on the road who were not paying attention to their surroundings. I was going down a street to a four way stop, in which I had the right of way and the other three sides had stop signs. I turned on my left blinker and slowed down slightly so that I could make the turn. As I started to turn my car, a car coming from the right went through their stop sign and turned onto my street right in front of me. Luckily, I had seen that the car had not stopped at their sign and was able to brake before I turned, letting the car go. I was paying attention to the road, and my surroundings, so I was able to brake before hitting the other car. Most of the time, my family members also make sure to keep their phones out of their line of sight when they are driving so that they are not distracted. Sometimes, though, if we are all taking a trip somewhere together, it can be harder for the person driving to concentrate with all the noise and talking around them. So, when I am being driven somewhere, I try not to take up too much of the drivers attention.

I personally take many steps to make sure that I am a safe driver on the road. For starters, I make sure that my location is on so that my parents know where I am at all times. I also have a beacon in my car from my insurance company that tracks my drives to make sure that I am driving responsibly. When I get into my car, I put my phone in the cubby on the center panel, so that it is out of sight and mind. With it hidden in the shelf, I am less likely to look at it while driving. I make sure to always wear my glasses so that I am able to read the street signs and see everything on the road clearly. I can try to encourage my friends to be safe on the roads and make sure that they eliminate any distractions they may have before they start driving.