The Dangers of Irresponsible Driving

Driving is a part of everyday life and is not taken seriously enough. The problem is that today’s world is full of people who take that freedom and abuse it. Drivers on the road should learn the importance of driving responsibly, and the severity of the consequences they could face personally and legally.

Before allowing anyone to get into the driver seat of a vehicle, each state should require a class to better equip a driver with the laws of driving and the different scenarios that they could encounter while driving. If every driver obeyed the laws of driving, then the number of wrecks would drastically decrease. According to Dolce, Chris “Weather-Related Vehicle Accidents Far More Deadly Than Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods.” The Weather Channel, February 05, 2022, “Those U.S. weather-related automobile crashes have killed an average of 5,376 people annually, accounting for about 16 percent of all vehicular deaths, the DOT said. More than 418,000 others were injured each year during that same period.”

For comparison, the 10-year average combined number of deaths each year from flooding, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes and heat is 379.” Only about sixteen percent of wrecks were caused from the elements that the driver was driving in. Some of these wrecks could have possibly been avoided with a class that focused on how to handle a vehicle while driving in different natural elements. There are things that can be taught to make driving in different elements easier. Taking the time to learn where to look when the sun is in your eyes or not hitting your brakes on an icy bridge could be the difference in life or death. These are just two examples of the knowledge that every driver should know about driving in the elements and not just the responsible drivers that went out of their way to learn. Laws are great and help keep us safe, but there is more to operating a vehicle responsibly than just knowing and obeying the laws.

Learning and following all the laws of the road while driving and how to handle your vehicle in all the different weather elements still does not mean you could not get distracted and wreck. According to “Distracted Driving.” NSC Injury Facts, 2023. “Being an attentive and alert driver can help prevent crashes that lead to unintentional injury and death. With the wide use of smartphones in the United States, distracted driving has become an important traffic safety topic. While cell phones and navigation devices often are the culprit when it comes to distracted driving, conventional distractions such as interacting with passengers and eating also contribute to crashes. Distracting tasks can affect drivers in different ways and can be categorized as visual, manual, and cognitive distraction.

The National Safety Council (NSC) analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data finds that 3,142 people died in distraction-affected crashes in 2020. This is an increase of about 1% from 3,119 deaths in 2019. See Data Details to understand the data limitations and potential underestimation of the number of distraction-affected crashes.

Distraction-affected fatal crashes have also increased 5.4% since 2011 and now number 3,211. The percent of fatal distraction-affected crashes involving cell phone use in 2021 was 11.7% compared to 12.3% in 2020.”

Distractions can be found inside and outside of the vehicle. A popular distraction today is your cell phone. It has become such a distraction that some states have passed laws where it is illegal to even be on your phone while driving. Billboards line the side of the road with words that catch your eye. Even if it is just for a split second, they will still take your eyes and focus off the road, increasing the chances of having an accident. Just having passengers in the vehicle with you can be another type of a distraction. If you are caught up in a good conversation or singing to your favorite song your focus is not on driving, The moment you take your focus off driving could be the one moment something falls off the car in front of you, the car beside you blows a tired, or worse a small child chases a ball into the street. People say all the time that it will never happen to them, but the truth is, it can happen to anyone in a split second and their life will never be the same. Every time you look away while driving you are risking your life and others.

If you know all the laws, studied all the advice you could find on driving in the elements, and you minimized all the distractions that are in your control still does not mean you will not have an accident. While reading and studying for your drivers test there are recommendations that will make you a more responsible driver. Paying attention to the vehicle that is swerving in and out of traffic because they are in a hurry, or noticing the driver in front of you is driving a standard transmission and their car starts to roll back towards you. These two examples may seem like things that may be out of your control, however the way you respond to them could be the difference in you being a responsible driver or an irresponsible driver. A way you can avoid getting hit is by watching their driving from a distance. If you stay at least three car lengths away (four car lengths if the roads are hazardous) from their vehicle you will increase your chances of not being involved in an accident. Just because you are being a responsible driver and are doing everything right, does not mean the other drivers on the road are doing the same. My parents like to randomly quiz me to see if I notice what color the car on my left was, or what type of vehicle is coming up behind me in my rearview mirror. Their favorite one is “what was on the small sign that we just passed”, to make sure that I am paying attention to not just the road directly in front of me, but all of my surroundings. This includes my mom’s favorite, “What small piece of trash was in the road and could it cause a flat tire?”

Driving while under the influence is a problem in America. Signs to spot someone that is driving under the influence are if they are swerving out of their lane, and if they can not maintain their speed. They may slow down and then speed up for no reason. I have personally experienced a situation with a careless driver, before I was even old enough to drive. When I was eight years old, my life was put on the line. A policeman pulled over the vehicle I was in, into the Kroger parking lot. The driver was asked to walk straight on a line and failed. I called my dad and he came to pick me up to bring me home. The entire situation was traumatizing. I was lucky that the Policeman noticed the driver was not staying in their lane and pulled the driver over before they took my life or a life in another vehicle. Later, we found out the driver of the car I was in had a water bottle they were drinking full of vodka, not water. Even worse, there was a liquor bottle on the passenger side too. This experience helped me to understand the dangers of driving under the influence at a very young age. It’s irresponsible to drink alcohol and then drive, but it is even worse to do it while driving.

There are several different steps that you need to take before you can be a responsible driver. First, you should know all of the laws and make sure you have a reliable vehicle. You should make sure that you are comfortable driving your vehicle, and how it drives in the different weather conditions (if not practice in a safe space with no other vehicles and pedestrians around). Some vehicles may have some driving sensitivity like tight steering, loose braking, and/or blind spots. Knowing these things are important to being a safe driver. Second, you should minimize any distraction that you have control over. Turn off your cell phone, turn off the radio, and ask your passengers to be respectful of your driving and try not to talk to you or ask you to look at things while driving. Finally, always be aware of the dangers around you.. Pay attention to your surroundings and the other drivers around you. There is more to being a responsible driver than just knowing the laws and passing your drivers test. Driving is not a game and a vehicle is not a toy. Make sure you are taking it as seriously as you take your life, because if not, it could cost you your life.