Taking on the Wheel of Death

I remember when I had to sit and do the driving education stuff before I was able to get my permit to even set foot behind the wheel. I thought it was the most boring thing I had to sit and do. Without doing the driving education though, I would not have the knowledge I have about driving. I do know that some families cannot afford driving instructions outside what the DMV offers, but for those who can, they should always do the driving instructions. Driving education keeps everyone safe because it gives you the basic knowledge about driving such as stop signs, lights, blinkers, SMOG. To a lot it may just seem Ike common sense, but that common sense is what keeps everyone on the road, including yourself safe.

What I think is the biggest cause of accidents is people driving recklessly because they are late somewhere. They are late to work or school and drive well above the speed limit, and recklessly switch lanes with no blinker to try and get to where they need to be as fast as they can. They are not thinking of the safety of themselves or anyone around them. All it takes is one small mishap to cause an accident that could potentially end in a death of someone. A simple answer would be to leave earlier. If you think there could be anything on the way that could make you late, leave earlier. Your life and others are not worth speeding to work. According to the California Car Accident Statistics 2023 the top-reported cause for car accidents each year in the United States is distracted driving. You may think that because you have been driving for 20 years that you are skilled enough to drive while on your phone but in those two seconds you were looking down at your phone, you failed to see the car in front of you slow down and you just rear-ended them. According to Koechlin from Multitasking Splits the Brain, the brain cannot efficiently juggle more than two tasks because it only has two hemispheres available for task management. Meaning no matter how skilled you think you are; your brain cannot successfully focus on two separate things successfully. Especially one as high of stakes a driving. I feel like some people forget that when they go to drive, they are not just responsible for their own life, but their passengers, the other drivers, pedestrians on the sidewalk. Even when you are the only one in the car, you have hundreds of lives in your hands, so it is important to drive smartly and safely.

I have not been in any accident where my driver was driving recklessly or irresponsibly. The only accident I was in, someone was speeding and switching lanes without a blinker and came up to us and pushed off the road into a ditch. I have seen though, a fair shar of a driver not checking in their blind spots before switching lanes. It was very scary for 10-year-old me, but it was my mom’s smart, quick thinking that kept us from rolling down the ditch. Other drivers think they are clear when they check their mirrors, but every car has a blind spot where you will not see another car right next to you. It has happened to me, where someone thought they were clear and did not see me in their blind spot when switching lanes. Every beginner driver and some very skilled driver makes the mistake of failing to check their blind spot, even me. We all learn something new when driving and we must make sure to apply it to make a safe drive every drive

I think that everyone, including me, can just always stay very alert. It only takes one mistake from someone, even a small one, to cause an accident. Pay close attention to the road signs and to all the cars around you. When your phone goes off, ignore it, and if it is an emergency pull over to answer. Your life and others are not worth the text from your friend. I do not see it often, but I have seen some road rage before, where someone will brake check or cut people off. If someone cuts you off, honks or does any other form of aggressive driving, ignore it. Think that they are stupid, but driving to catch up to them or anything is just stupid and will more likely cause an accident. It may just be common sense, but that simple common sense and quick thinking can save lives.