Safe Drivers Save Lives

Hundreds of thousands of young people die each year due to vehicular collisions. Many of whom are healthy, normal, fun-loving teens. These young people are being robbed of their youth, life, and future just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of whom were not taught how to drive safely and intently. Distracted driving, the lack of driving education, road rage, and texting while driving are leading causes of death in driving teens and adults.

Driver’s Ed or Driver’s Education is an in-classroom or online and behind-the-wheel program meant to prepare teens to drive alone safely. It includes hours of solo coursework and driving practice done with an instructor. Driver’s Education is not mandatory in states such as Alabama. In Alabama, the law does not require minors to complete Driver’s Education prior to applying for their license, however, this is a major problem. Not every parent has the ability, capacity, and time to teach his or her child proper vehicular operation. Without the requirement of a trained professional, teens are not receiving adequate training and preparation before driving alone, thus they are being put into dangerous situations unprepared. The consequences of this could be dire.

Every parent’s desire is for his or her child to return home safely after being behind the wheel without supervision. It is imperative that parents either enroll their children in driving lessons or teach their children themselves. Not only will this save the lives of their children but also save the lives of other drivers on the road, and pedestrians. Furthermore, it is important that each driver do his or her duty by being attentive and focused while driving. I myself had a positive experience in driver’s education. I was taught the fundamentals of driving collision free. The importance of safe driving was stressed. I was taught that a vehicle is not a toy, it is a tool used to bring a person to his or her desired destination, so in order to protect the lives of myself and others one must be watchful. One way this could be done is by reducing one’s phone usage while driving. Texting while driving is a big issue throughout the nation. A solution to this may mean asking a passenger to answer any calls or texts that come through, or connecting one’s cell phone to the vehicle. This reduces having to touch or look at the cellular device. Choosing to text while driving many times results in car collisions.

Car collisions are a major problem in many states. I have attended a funeral of a friend who died due to a car collision, and have experienced moments of fright from a family member being involved in car accidents. In car collisions, many other people are affected outside of the drivers: the families, friends, possibly pedestrians, and insurance companies. This cannot be. Every driver, every day can take little steps to be a safe driver. One of those steps is being patient. Oftentimes, drivers may become impatient with each other and may cause them to experience something called road rage. Road rage is a term used to describe impatience and anger that one driver has towards another. It may be manifested in the form of rudeness, insults, and threats, caused by a driver or drivers doing risky or illegal moves, or simply not driving fast enough. A driver may experience road rage often, and sometimes, to avoid being stuck behind a driver that angers them, they themselves may attempt a risky or illegal move, putting their lives and other lives in danger.

There are many causes of death due to driving collisions, many of whom could be avoided if preventative measures are taken. Ultimately, drivers need to be more outwardly focused on the health and safety of other drivers around themselves, not merely thinking of themselves as more important, but thinking of each individual person on the road. Instead of being angry at another driver cutting oneself off, they should look at the situation from the other driver’s perspective and what they may be going through. Perhaps, another driver may have received terrible news that caused them to accidentally disrupt another driver’s experience. All things considered, we all are living our lives in a hurry, but it is not necessary for a driver to risk the safety of others in order to arrive at their destination quicker. Let us all think of the safety of ourselves and others before getting behind the wheel.