We need to make a change!

Do you realize how much trust you put into the individuals on the road? Driving on the road is just hoping that the other drivers follow the laws of the streets. I am 20 so I have been driving for 4 years now and I have already seen lots of sketchy stuff. I have never been in an accident thankfully, but I have experienced some close calls and seen some happen in front of me.

In this day phones have become a huge problem when navigating a vehicle. They are huge distractions and just one peak at the screen can take someone’s life. The government has started to see this issue and is now putting regulations on phones in the car. But I still continue to see people swerving on the road and I see their faces lit up by a screen. According to statistics, “Distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021” (NHTSA. 2021). The problem is still not solved so I think the phone companies should take initiative to solve this issue. I believe they could put restrictions on a phone while you are operating the vehicle, so that you are not notified. However there are emergencies at times, so if it is important it could be read aloud to you so that you don’t need to read a screen. Technology is far too advanced to not use it for an issue like this. I have friends that claim “I got good at driving while texting,” but I don’t think this should be something to be proud of. We need to utilize text to speech technology and create a safe environment in the car or the cars surrounding you. You hold a big responsibility when driving a vehicle and I think we need to be reminded of that.

I believe we also should have driving check-ins where you renew your license more often, which would require a test similar to the driving test. People need to be reminded of the laws and what responsibility they are holding since this is not only their safety but also the community’s. This would also be important for our elders, many people of old age are still operating vehicles whether they are suited to or not. “In 2021, there were about 32 million licensed drivers aged 70 and older” (IIHS, 2023). Many people over the age of 70 experience disabilities in their eyesight, hands, or in their brain. If they are struggling with these issues it is not safe for them to drive on the road.

Red Light running has gotten worse and worse in my personal experience. I watch so many people run lights which causes them to go high speeds to make it through the light. Studies show that, “In 2021, there were 1,109 fatalities and an estimated 127,000 injuries in collisions that involved vehicles running red lights. Half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists, and occupants of other vehicles that were hit” (IIHS, 2023). There is a reason the light is red, it is not safe to drive forward. So when people speed through these reds they are not aware of who’s coming the other direction and/or they are moving too fast to see if there is a pedestrian.

Lastly, one of the most dangerous situations on the road is having someone intoxicated while driving. Drinking and driving has not been solved and it is time to put an end to it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that “Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes”(NHTSA, 2023). You are putting yourself in such a scary circumstance when you get behind a wheel after drinking. Not only yourself but everyone else on the road is now more at risk because you are operating a vehicle. The laws and regulations in place have not had a strong enough effect to keep this from happening. Maybe that is installing breathalyzers into cars or another device that tests your sobriety. A change needs to be made soon before more people get hurt.

New laws or technology needs to be set in place to make the roads safer. Whatever we are doing right now isn’t working. Car companies try coming out with safer models that beep when something is close by but nothing to fix the issues I have stated above. Let’s make a change and start with yourself by making the roads safer.