Drive Safe, Save A Life

Driver safety is just as important as learning about saying no to drugs with the D.A.R.E. program or even reducing pregnancy rates by having students take care of realistic baby dolls for a week. Educating people about driving is important to reducing the number of deaths by making sure drivers are aware of the consequences of reckless driving before they get behind a wheel. In most states, teens obtain their driving permits at the age of fifteen with some states being fourteen. After about 6 months and 50 hours of being behind the wheel, a now fifteen or sixteen year old is able to take the road test to secure their license. While learning to drive during those 6 months, a 10 hour course on the dangers of driving intoxicated, reckless driving, and not wearing a seatbelt should be mandatory. This course needs to be monitored so teens aren’t able to start the course and walk away. It should also consist of visuals that represent not only the risks but the extremities of these dangerous actions.

Most teenagers start driving when they enter high school at the age of fifteen or sixteen years old. However, before they are allowed to begin driving on school grounds, I feel that students should take an elective course for a semester or year on the importance and safety of being behind the wheel. Schools should also implement a point system ranging from severity of offense to occurrences where school driving privileges are based on their actions. This point system should also extend into the community so it encourages safe driving on and off school grounds.

One way we can reduce the number of deaths related to driving is by encouraging friends and family to obey traffic laws, obey the speed limit, and utilize defensive driving. Obeying traffic laws such as stopping at stop signs and yielding to oncoming traffic can reduce the number of accidents and deaths that occur. When driving on the road and the highway, all drivers should use defensive driving. Defensive driving is keeping a safe distance, specifically 3 seconds, between you and the car in front to allow enough time to stop if needed. Traffic does not always flow at a consistent or steady pace and can stop at any time.

Another way to reduce death related accidents is to limit distractions. Do not text and drive and if you must make a phone call, use hands-free devices. Also, avoid driving when you are tired. You can injure yourself, others, or worse and it’s just as dangerous as driving while under the influence. Stay alert by being aware of your surroundings and checking your peripherals consistently.

In December of 2018, while driving on the highway one night, traffic went from a steady flow to a sudden stand still. After stopping, I remember looking up at my rear view mirror and seeing bright lights traveling towards me very quickly. I was rear ended and pushed into the car that was in front of me. My vehicle was smashed in from the back and the airbag deployed but luckily I was able to get out. Two girls got out of the vehicle that hit me and asked if I was okay and afterwards the driver stated, “I didn’t realize traffic stopped.” In that brief exchange, I could tell the driver had also been drinking. At that moment, my adrenaline was so high that I refused medical transport because I was fine, at least I thought I was. The next morning I had minor injuries like bruising from the seat belt however, it protected me from what could’ve been worse. I also had minor back and hip injuries and needed to see a doctor along with a chiropractor.

A few days later, I went to grab items from my car from the tow yard and realized just how bad the accident was after seeing the damage. After seeing my vehicle, I thought about how it all could’ve been prevented if the driver wasn’t under the influence and instead was aware of their surroundings. I was very lucky that night but, many people aren’t able to say the same.

To become a better safe driver one must practice what they preach. You can’t tell someone to not text and drive as you pick up your phone to check a text message behind the wheel. You can teach safe driving when you fully stop at a stop sign, obey the speed limit, and practice defensive driving. If you and your friends have been drinking, encourage them to call a ride instead of getting behind the wheel because they didn’t “drink that much.” If you are a passenger in a car and the driver is texting, speak up and ask them to put the phone down. Not only are your lives important but the people you are sharing the road with as well.