Taking Accountability While Driving

The essence of driving is different for each individual on the road; some might be driving in order to reach their destination while others might be driving to relax after a long day. Regardless, most people do not want to harm or get harmed in the process of driving. However, car crashes are one of the leading causes of death around the world, most of which happen because of simple mistakes such as speeding or being distracted. The only way to stop this tragedy is by taking accountability when we drive, which can be done by simply making sure we are practicing safe driving.

Death from driving is something a lot of drivers do not consider when they are behind the wheel; especially those who practice safe driving. Regardless of this, a vast majority of the times a person driving safely loses their life because of a reckless driver. By not engaging in harmful driving behaviors that are glamorized in media such as ‘cutting up’ or ‘swimming’, we can reduce the amount of accidents that happen on the road. These harmful styles of driving consist of abruptly switching lanes at dangerous speed which can cause a chain reaction to the surrounding vehicles when done wrong.

I have been in vehicles with my friends who consistently indulge in this reckless style of driving which quickly inspired more of my friends to drive recklessly because they thought it was cool. I also thought it was cool to drive in a reckless manner because of the thrill this type of driving provided. However, it is only a matter of time until your actions catch up to you. One night my friend Charlie passed away from a car crash. Luckily no one else was harmed but it didn’t matter as he lost his life because of the way he drove his car. His car had built up mechanical issues from all the stress it went through from being driven extremely, which led to brake failures causing his death. If he had practiced safe driving, his death could perhaps have been avoided. Due to this tragedy, whenever I see any of my friends driving recklessly, I advise them to practice driving safely as otherwise this could potentially cause harm to them or someone else.

I have also been inside of a car that was struck by a speeding driver which could have caused a lot more damage to me and my family. It happened when my father and I were going to buy my first car and we just stopped at a red light. All of a sudden we felt a thump that launched us out of our seats and almost pushed our car forward onto incoming traffic. A reckless driver behind a semi-truck was trying to run the red light but swerved into us because the semi also had stopped at the red light. If we weren’t wearing our seatbelts we would have been sent flying through the windshield and seriously injured. This experience gave me all the more understanding of how one person driving recklessly can affect the people around them and put them into situations they have no control over.

Situations like mine are all too common in our world today and it continues to plague the lives of so many innocent civilians on the road. If we were to implement better education for drivers, we could reduce the amount of car crashes and deaths resulting from them. Reckless drivers should not learn about the consequences of their actions until it’s too late. Someone should not be seriously injured or potentially robbed of their life just so someone else can understand what’s at stake when they drive recklessly. It is our responsibility as a community to step up and promote safe driving. Individuals should also learn traffic laws and what to do in intense situations so they can reduce the chances of causing a fatal car accident.

If we start taking accountability for ourselves and those that are around us who drive, we can create safer communities. We should not have to suffer from losing our loved ones because of car crashes. Someone who sets out on the road should be able to reach the destination as they intended to, and not be sent towards harm’s way because of one persons’ selfishness. Our roads were built to help people and society advance, they were not built to take away innocent lives from thousands of families and cause them unimaginable pain and grief.