The Dangers of Driving

New, unexperienced drivers usually are not aware or focused on the dangers of driving. Most new drivers are just excited that they have their license; a new freedom has just been given to them, and nothing is going to damper their moods. Of course, this feeling is soon erased when new drivers either experience themselves or a loved one experiences a fatal car accident. You see, driving can be a fun, freeing experience, but it can also be terrifying and deadly. With an average of 34,000 deaths per year in the United States, it is of upmost importance that drivers, especially unexperienced drivers, are aware of the dangers of driving and how to avoid being a negligent driver when they are behind the wheel of their own vehicle. If we can educate drivers at a large scale, the death toll of driving accidents will be reduced.

Educating new drivers will help reduce the amount of annual road accidents that occur in the United States. This is extremely important as too many lives are being taken at the hands of dangerous driving. With more educated drivers on the road, less accidents will occur, meaning less fatalities will occur on the roads. A few steps can be taken to educate these young, unexperienced drivers about the dangers of driving. First, I believe that driver’s education should be a required class in all public high schools in order to graduate. If all students must take driver’s education, then a majority of new drivers will already know about how dangerous driving is, and how to avoid driving negligently. If unexperienced drivers are aware of the dangers of driving, then hopefully they will be more aware of how they are driving and will reduce the amounts of accidents that new drivers experience. A second step that can be taken to reduce the amount of driving related deaths would be to implement safeguards in all vehicles in the United States. When drivers convicted of a DUI are allowed to return to driving, they sometimes are mandated to have a breathalyzer in their vehicles. The driver must use the breathalyzer before their car starts, and the car will only start if the person is under the legal blood alcohol level. If this was implemented in all vehicles across the United States, there would be a major reduction in the amount of drunk driving accidents that occur. A lower level of drunk driving accidents would dramatically reduce the number of driving related fatalities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in 2020, 30% of all traffic-related deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers. If impaired drivers can be taken off of roads, thousands of lives would be saved.

On the note of unexperienced drivers in vehicle collisions, I personally have never been in a major car accident when I was the one driving. There have been some scuffs, accidentally taping the bumper of another car in the high school parking lot, my friend accidentally backing into my car while leaving her driveway or even me backing into my father’s vehicle while attempting to back out of my own garage. However, I have an older brother and sister who have been in a major car accident. When I was in third grade, my older brother was a senior in high school and my oldest sister was a sophomore. On the last day of school before winter break, December 23^rd, 2014, my brother was driving my sister to school. On the way to the high school from our house, you must drive over a bridge that goes over a river. Ice appears on bridges faster than on roads due to the bridge being completely open on all sides, allowing it to cool faster. We live in North Dakota, one of the coldest states in America, and December houses a lot of snow and ice. When my brother was driving over the bridge, he hit an ice patch and lost control of the vehicle. The car spun out of control and slammed into the guard rail of the bridge, with the front end of the car going through it. The car was completely totaled, and my brother and sister were badly hurt. My brother’s left pelvis was fractured along with his right ankle, and he faced a concussion. My sister fractured multiple lumbar vertebrae. This was one of the most terrifying experiences that either of them has faced, and it also took a toll on me and the rest of my family. This is just one major car accident that I have seen. In the parking lot of my high school, there is multiple accidents each winter. With a lot of unexperienced drivers in one place in unideal driving conditions, it is a recipe for disaster. Last winter, at least 4 cars were totaled in just one collision, not counting the many other collisions that occurred. I have seen many other instances where people are injured in car collisions, but thankfully I have not directly experienced any for myself.

I am not a perfect driver. There are many things that I do wrong when driving, but I try to better my driving every day. I understand the consequences of dangerous driving can be deadly, for either myself or I could severely injure or kill someone else if I am a distracted or unsafe driver. I can take steps to become a better and safer driver by turning on “do not disturb” mode on my phone when I am driving. This will mean that I won’t receive any notifications on my phone until I turn my phone off of that mode. Without getting any notifications, I won’t be inclined to check my phone when driving, helping keep me from being a distracted driver. Another step I can implement for becoming a safer driver is to install a hands-free stand for my phone for when I need to have my GPS activated when driving. This will keep me from looking down to see my directions, but rather look at an area where I can still see the road. By becoming a better and safer driver, I will help others on the road do the same. If I am driving safe, other drivers will not have to partake in any dangerous methods to avoid my car if I was driving unsafe. This way, both I and other drivers will be driving safer, reducing the number of car collisions, both deadly and not.

Driving is one of the most dangerous parts of everyday life. Every time you enter a vehicle, you are taking a risk, and it could be the last action that you do. By understanding the dangers of driving and working to reduce them, less people will be victims of dangerous, distracted, or drunk driving accidents. Too many people lose their lives to driving in the U.S., and hopefully that amount will be lessened as measures are put into place to protect drivers and passengers.