Brake the cycle

One minor action, one slight distraction, and even one glance away could be the reason some people don’t make it home to their family for dinner that night. Driving safety is one of the most important subjects to advocate around in today’s world. Countless numbers of people every year are passing away due to preventable reasons which is why it is important to voice facts about safety and advocate for driving education. As a proud member of the SADD committee at my high school this topic is something I value advocating about in major ways.

In my own life, I have had a personal experience regarding my Aunt in an unsafe driving situation. She was killed when she was only 20 years old due to a drunk driver hitting her car. I never got the opportunity to meet her but rather only look at photos. My father can not even bring himself to talk about the accident because of how angry and resentful he is at the unsafe driver on the road that night. You do not want to be the cause of a family feeling this way. Not only do you not want to be responsible for this kind of tragedy, in addition your life will never be the same. The countless lives affected by one wrong decision is devastating and incredibly sad. To take steps in becoming a safe driver it is crucial to know your abilities and call an uber or friend to drive you home if you are not in the right state of mind or physical capability.

The implementation of driving safety is a must because driving irresponsibly affects, not just you and your loved ones, but also other families and friends on the road. Requiring a driver’s education course for all licensed drivers no matter age or experience could be a huge step towards the right direction in preventing motor accidents. If people are exposed to the unbelievable statistics that have grown over the years, I think that mindfulness in driving safely will increase. Here are just a few recent statistics found which is eye opening-

“Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 leading cause of death for people ages 13 to 19.”

“Over 50% of car accidents happen within five miles of your home”

“A total of 35% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred due to impaired driving.”

Another reason that Drivers education is needed for everybody to take is because it teaches you the logistics about how your car actually works. I think that most people believe it is common sense to know what to do if you start drifting on ice, or if your windshield starts to fog up, or even how to jump start a car if needed. These scenarios are almost guaranteed to happen to a driver once in their life therefore it is crucial to educate people about these not common sense problems so that they can complete their drive safely.

Personally, I have discovered over the past year of my driving experience many possibilities of unsafe driving habits that could result in tragedy. One of them could be as simple as taking off a jacket in the winter once you get too hot in your car. Not only do you have to unbuckle your seatbelt which is a huge risk, but you are also trying to multitask and move around in the driving seat all while focusing on the road. This little and mindless thought could potentially run a high risk for an accident. If you situate yourself before you start your drive on the road then you are taking one step to reduce the number of deaths related to driving because you are eliminating distractions from your focus. Situate your seat position, and rear view mirrors when you first get into the car because it could be a lifesaver to not do these actions on the road.

My goal is to advocate for avoiding destructive decisions therefore at my highschool I am a board member of the SADD committee and I have been for the past four years. SADD stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions. We advocate for safe driving as part of our curriculum because students are some of the highest risk people to get into a car with somebody who is impaired and/or drive as somebody who is impaired themselves. Our goals of educating our fellow student body and the younger generations to come will hopefully make a big impact and lower the percentage for unsafe driving habits.

I hope that through this essay it was learned that one small action can have monumental effects and driving safety is something to not be taken lightly. We need as much advocacy as possible for this topic or else the numbers and statistics will keep growing and it will be a never ending tragic cycle.