Drive with Wisdom

Having a car can become an essential to some people but it’s a very dangerous and expensive essential. Everyone has their own experience with vehicles of either riding or owning their own, they are great for traveling and making life easier when needing to haul items. Though we need to talk about how safe our drivers are today, and how we can prevent disasters that these heavy machines lead us into. Government laws have helped the public stay safe with driving however there are still mistakes in the system that need to be corrected. The three primary concerns are the drivers, our roadways and traffic systems, and lastly our cars.  

Having driving academies and schools to learn how to drive safely has profited our roads and safety of others. It’s important to complete driving school because it helps keep students became aware of preventing dangerous situations that previous generations encountered. I recall specifically the first day in driver’s ed our instructor put on an hour’s worth of videos involving car accidents on train tracks. Now it’s pretty much common sense not to cross railroad tracks when a train is coming, but from previous generations that was the biggest reason for deaths. It was pretty frustrating watching the same horrible crash over and over, just with a different car, but I can tell you no one from that class will be stopping on railroad tracks. Having that repetition of seeing what the outcome is from that decision makes a realization in the mind, and we should continue with that tactic of teaching students driving by showing them the outcome of what happens with a bad or wrong decision. Driving school is so helpful and helps students become aware of cautions on the road that aren’t taught by their parents or their friends and creates an alertness in their mind for expectations or what to do in those 5-second quick decisions. I think there should be more severity towards car accidents. We need more defensive drivers on the roads. It makes a difference having a defensive attitude towards driving, and better safe than sorry.  

Driving these days you’d think the roads would be safer since we have better cars they can help protect us, however we are even more dangerous due to distractions. It’s easy to get distracted, happens to the best of us even when we’re driving alone. Another distraction are our cell phones and in some states you aren’t allowed to drive while on your phone, which I think is a step towards progress. Laws preventing distractions, such as holding your phone, reduce accidents and deaths, as it’s risky trying to hold the wheel with one hand and looking down while texting with the other. It’s an accident waiting to happen. If I were able to implement driving laws, I would require drivers lock up their phone when driving unless the car has a Bluetooth option to allow for personal emergencies. There are other distractions that affect our driving, many we can control, such as eating while driving. Yes, drivers get hungry, but letting go of the wheel to pick up the food or diverting eyes from the roadway is dangerous. Drivers should keep easy snacks in the car because no one wants to get in a car wreck from trying to dip a fry in ketchup. The staple of safe driving is not being under the influence while driving, as that is the most dangerous because drivers lack clear judgement in this state of mind. Some try to say driving is like first nature and that being intoxicated makes them a better driver. There are too many lives that have been lost and have proved those statements wrong. We need to make these small and large distractions known to all drivers so they are aware for their own safety and for the safety of other drivers as well. 

You know when you first start driving and it’s with your parents of course, and they are scared of every turn or stop sign. Well that’s because of three things, they are out of comfort since they’re usually in the driver’s seat, you’re new to driving and still getting an understanding for it, and finally because they no longer have the control. I remember when my sister first got her car, she never drove alone because I was always sitting in the passenger seat. Of course I was over the moon that my sister was able to drive me anywhere! Initially she was a really cautious driver, but as time passed she became more comfortable driving I began to notice her becoming more “adventurous” with when she would pull out in front of other cars, take a risky turn, or brake harder. After one week of witnessing three close-call crashes I had to restrict myself because I didn’t trust her anymore as a driver. That was difficult because I trusted her so much as my sister but I didn’t feel safe enough to ride with her and caused a lot of difficulty for me needing to finding rides. I made sure she knew why I wasn’t riding with her anymore, though eventually I did have to go back to riding with her. Time passed and she truly improved and began to understand the importance of how she made her passengers feel when riding with her. Most of the time drivers don’t even realize how much danger they are putting themselves in when they are driving by themselves versus when they have passengers in the car.  

Vehicles are essential for getting from point A to point B, but people’s lives are valuable and never worth the risk of a distraction. We should protect our lives at all costs and ensure drivers are aware of risks and consequences while behind the wheel. Creating new traffic laws help protect our roads and communities. Mandatory driving school taught by trained and experienced instructors aid in becoming a more defensive driver. We need to be careful with our precious lives so our loved ones don’t worry whether we are coming home or not and not allow the machines man created to be the death of us.