Behind The Wheel

I remember when I got into a car accident for the very first time. I was 16 and my mom is a pretty good driver with a fast reaction time, so not much happened up until that point other than some close calls on the road because of other people’s ridiculous driving habits. She had seen it all. The classic being on the phone while driving, people smoking so much the windows fog up, and a couple of people eating full-blown meals. This time was no different, the only thing that changed was that there was nothing she could have done about this one. While in a company car, some random guy was behind us and wasn’t paying attention to the road, causing him to ram into the back of our car, hard. Both of us flung forward. Luckily, we were wearing seatbelts that stopped the damage from being worse, but we were both confused about what happened and winded from the hit. The guy who did it took responsibility. He got out of the car, checked on us, apologized, and gave my mom his contact information. Which is nice, but my mom and I still had to go to the hospital after to make sure nothing was wrong. As far as I know, there was no permanent damage or continuous issues that occurred after the accident, but both of us had pains throughout our bodies for the rest of the week. The point of this story is to show how big of an impact such a small decision can have. That guy deciding to look at his phone caused a crash that could have had potentially fatal consequences.

If you want to reduce driving-related deaths, you must emphasize better driving habits. I think putting around more signs that say, “No phones while driving” and finding and fining those who use their phones can help with this. I can acknowledge that not being on your phone ever isn’t possible for everyone, but being set up for a drive will prevent you from having to do stuff while you’re driving. For example, having your music on before you drive off, making sure you can quickly press the accept call button on your phone if you have to, or having anything you need or want nearby would stop the distractions from taking so much of your attention away. Technology helps with this since many cars can make or take calls using only your voice. Also, always using a seatbelt will prevent deaths even when you’re in an accident. Imagine if I didn’t wear a seatbelt during that accident, it would have been so much worse. You can’t control what other people do on the road, so you have to be as safe as possible. And if you feel iffy in any way, meaning you’re tired, drunk, or ill, that is your sign to take an Uber instead of driving home yourself.

Those methods can all prevent the deaths of plenty of people, but the initial education drivers get is crucial to minimizing driving-related deaths. Making drivers aware of what causes the most accidents, how to drive properly, and what to look out for through educating them about it will reduce deaths. Someone knowing the in-depth dos and don’ts of driving will always have an advantage over those who don’t. Sometimes reckless driving comes from a lack of a good education and if you don’t know better you won’t do better. And even if you do know a lot, reinforcing the knowledge you have will ingrain it into you more. Some people will get educated, but barely pay attention to the class and plan on forgetting everything about it as soon as they pass. That isn’t the way to go about it. You should focus on it, like your own life or someone else’s life depends on it because it does. The driving education you receive is the foundation for how you approach driving and should be respected more for how essential it is.

As someone who is now learning how to drive, I want to be a responsible and safe driver. The kind of drivers my parents are, comfortable yet alert. I think the best way to do this is to follow the same aforementioned steps. I will stay off my phone, keep my seatbelt on, and plan ahead. I should be prepared for anything and be aware of my surroundings. I should also always wear my contacts while driving since my glasses don’t see very far. To help others be better drivers, I can encourage them to take precautions. If my friend is speeding, I will tell them to slow down and if they have been drinking, I will drive them home myself or force them to take an Uber. We can also tell our loved ones to put their phone away or look at the road whenever they look away too much. My mom and dad used to do this a decent amount, but I would tell them that if anything happened, it would be our lives on the line. After bothering them a lot about it, they rarely do it unless it’s important. Driving seems so inconsequential because of how often we do it, but we should take it seriously. Hundreds of people die every day from car accidents. If you’re not ready to be one of them or be held accountable for taking someone’s life, then becoming a cautious driver is a necessity.