What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving?

Despite the number of safety precautions drivers can take, the number of fatalities related to driving still increases every year. Each year, thousands of lives are taken due to collisions on the road. There are multiple ways to reduce these fatalities such as better car safety features, improving road design, enforcing stricter traffic laws, and encouraging safe driving habits. Safe driving habits include creating stricter alcohol and drug use laws to forbid underage people from getting their hands on them.

About a year ago, there was a collision that occurred at an intersection near where I live.

There were six teens in a car heading to a party when they entered an unsafe and confusing

intersection and got into a collision with another car. Tragically, a 15-year-old boy was killed and

5 others were critically injured. I believe that the cause of this collision is that there is no red

arrow light indicating when it is unsafe to turn into the intersection. Unfortunately, when people

get their license, after a few years they start driving more carelessly and they don’t pay attention

to their surroundings as much. Making sure that there is a red arrow light at locations where this

has or could occur will help ensure safety when making a turn into an intersection, especially

when the visibility outside is not at its best.

Another example of a leading cause of fatalities on the road is drunk driving. The main problem that causes this is that teenagers can easily have access to alcohol. To tremendously

decrease the amount of drunk driving incidents, there needs to be stricter alcohol laws, so that it

is less likely for an underage person to be drinking while driving. Teenagers are not easily

convinced that they will be affected, so it is important to consistently show them, in detail, what

happens as a result of driving under the influence. We need to go beyond the ‘fun’ assemblies in

school that try to get students to listen to a presentation they most likely won’t remember the

next day. Undoubtedly, showing teenagers examples and details of what happens as well as

hearing realistic and graphic stories from people who have experienced drunk driving incidents

is a crucial step we can take to start reducing the chance of these incidents happening.

Another leading cause of deaths related to driving is the design of roads. I have been on

countless roads that are not paved properly and are extremely dangerous to drive on. This has

been a problem in many areas, and refurbishing, paving and repainting the lines on the roads will increase the safety of driving for people of all ages. Implementing a mandatory driving test that drivers have to retake every 5 years after receiving their license is something that can increase the safety of driving and reduce the amount of incidents that happen. The longer a person has their license, the more carelessly they drive. This leads to people making unnecessary and avoidable decisions that can be the cause of someone’s harm or death in a split second. Mandating recurring driving tests can ensure that people are driving safely and remember the basic rules of being on the road. Texting while driving is one of the most common violations drivers engage in. A solution could be offering an option to install hands free technology in cars that don’t have it. Insurance companies could offer a small discount for drivers using this feature. This would make a huge impact on lessening the likelihood of distracted driving.

As a new driver, there are many things that make me, as well as many of my friends nervous to drive. During my drivers education classes I was taught all of the rules and laws of driving that I am mindful of when I am on the road. I pay attention carefully to stop signs, turn signals, braking properly, and keeping outside distractions at bay. My cellphone is on silent and out of sight, and if I feel the need to call or text someone I pull over and safely do so. I do all of these things because my education and training is fresh in my memory, but unfortunately that is not the case for many experienced drivers. If experienced drivers, every so often, were required to “relearn” the rules of the road, it would help many drivers, like me, worry less about what others are doing and focus more on their own safety.

All of these steps can be taken to help reduce the number of deaths related to driving.