Watch the Road or Pay the Price

Imagine someone driving one day minding their own business and in a flash their car is wrecked. The other driver was on the phone, drunk, or maybe asleep and both cars were wrecked and potentially a life is lost. Driving is dangerous if one does not adhere to the laws and rules of driving, and it puts others’ lives at risk. This is why the importance of driver’s education is highly emphasized to prevent these issues from occurring, yet they still happen. With that being stated there can be a couple of steps one must follow to reduce the mortality rate of road deaths. Once all these important information and steps have been stated, they will show the importance of reducing crashes and potential death of a person.

To begin, drivers’ education is crucial since it teaches one the rules and law of the road to prevent mortality rates on the road. At the DMV they hand out small booklets to educate people about road laws and rules of the road. Furthermore, DMV offers a drivers education course which also helps with these things, but on a more important scale. How does this reduce death? Learning how to drive and adhering to the rules lower the risk of potential crashes and death, but just driving with barely any knowledge can create bad habits and put others’ lives at risk.

Moving on, there are a plethora of steps to adhere to reduce the number of deaths on the road. The first step is crucial, and many people are guilty of this, DUI. Driving under the influence causes so many deaths worldwide since one has limited to know conscience when driving. It is easy to say to quit doing this, but one does not simply listen to these rules since there are still people meeting an untimely fate due to another person who is DUI. There can be a solution and that is if one knows they are going to be under the influence, then they need a chauffeur. This can reduce the risk of getting a DUI and costing someone’s life on the road. Another step that others and I are guilty of is Phone distraction. Besides a DUI, having a phone beside someone while driving is a major distraction as it can deter their attention from the road and increases the chances of a car crash. A simple way to address this issue is to silence all notifications and put the phone away from reach to prevent distractions. One last step to follow is driving while one is alert, but what do I mean by driving while alert? One must be awake and attentive to the road. Someone must be wide awake before going behind the wheel. If one knows if they are going on a long drive or they’re sleepy they should be well rested as driving tired can put them in harm and others in danger. These steps should not be recommended, they should be followed since driving can be very dangerous at any moment.

I have once been in an accident with my father due to someone else driving recklessly. Me and my father were in Florida visiting family and we were at a red light. The light turned green, and we were turning into the apartment complex, but a driver on the other side wanted to speed up and make it past the light thinking nobody would turn and hit me and my father. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and no cars were totaled, since my father and the driver hit the brakes and swerved preventing a dangerous impact. It was a bit nerve wrecking, but due to my father paying attention it probably prevented a death or serious injury. The main idea of this story is to not race against the traffic light because it could cost someone dearly.

There are many steps I take to be a better and safer driver and to help others practice safe driving. To begin, before I drive, I make sure there are no issues with my car and that I’m alert and attentive to the road. Another step I take is that I put anything that can be distracting (i.e., phone, food, drinks) away from my reach so all my attention is on the road. The last step I take for road safety is that I do not let “road rage” control me. I keep a clear mind and do not let emotions control my actions on the road. Letting emotions control someone on the road could potentially make them reckless and harm someone or somebody else. In terms of helping others in safe road practice, all that I stated above summarizes my ideas for safe road practice, but I have two extra steps to add. The first is to practice safe driving before going on the road and addressing bad habits before someone drives on the road alone and becomes a hazard for others. The second step is to not speed past the limit to get past anyone or the traffic light as that almost cost me and my father that one day due to a reckless driver.

In summary, it is best to follow the rules and laws of the road to lower the chances of death or crashes. Furthermore, drivers’ education is to be taken serious and not be seen as a waste of time as it can teach someone a couple of things and lower the percentages of death on the road. I firmly suggest that one should take driving more seriously as anyone can get hurt at any moment anywhere, do not be another number to the statistic.