Steering towards a safer road

Driving is an important part in most people’s lives and I can definitely say it plays an exponential role in mine. Ever since I was younger I was fascinated by cars due to the fact that my grandfather not only built them but would take me to a NASCAR race once a year. I loved watching them fly past as I sat in a lawn chair next to my family. As I grew up I would learn to love racing games on my xbox but quickly learned that cars, although used for travel could also put multiple people into dangerous situations. Once I started learning how to drive all I could think about was taking my little cousin to Walmart to buy Pokemon cards. I knew in order to achieve this dream I must prove how safe of a driver I was since let’s be honest who’s letting a new driver drive their kid without supervision. I knew that if I wanted to become this safe driver that I must give all my attention to my drivers education class where I was taught the full importance of safety on roads. Driver’s education provides individuals with the skills and knowledge to protect themselves and others. They teach students much more than just how to operate a vehicle, they also cover road safety, defensive driving, traffic laws, and how your actions can quickly turn into a dangerous situation. Throughout the course new drivers learn about important concepts like speed limits, road signs, and the effects of alcohol and texting on driving. The course is made of the concept of limiting poor decision making and if these bad situations do come up how to stay calm and do your best to limit the damage that is caused. To add on to that the importance of seatbelts is also brought up at various times throughout the course which ensures that they are teaching proper safety measures and are trying to limit harm in the most beneficial ways. Even though driver education is an essential part of road safety there are also other measures that can be taken in order to reduce the number of casualties related to driving. One large step is enforcing traffic laws such as no texting and driving and no driving while under the use. This can be done with stricter penalties for these violations, such as higher fines, license suspensions, and retaking a driving course. I know from experience that one will get pulled over if there is suspicion of someone with a phone to their ear. Luckily for me it was a huge mistake and the officer thought my hand was my phone but then let me go once I explained that my phone was at home dead on a counter. But more actions like this will strike fear into drivers who are on their phones instead of paying attention to the road in front of them. Advancements to vehicle technology are also playing a huge role in reducing fatalities. Thanks to modern vehicles and their advanced safety systems every aspect of driving has become safer. I know in a tesla even though I don’t own one that there is a camera in the mirror and if it catches you on your phone more than once it will remove your access to the vehicle. As we keep making advancements in technology in vehicles and the prices start to drop the number of casualties are guaranteed to drop exponentially on roads and highways. I have never been in a car accident and both of my parents are super responsible when it comes to driving especially since if a call comes up the car starts ringing and they can push a button without even having to pick up their phones. On the other hand I have witnessed friends experience bad driving habits such as speeding and checking the phone (not texting) while driving. I have been in the car with one of my friends while he was being pulled over because he thought the speed limit was 45 but it was actually 35. This was a genuine mistake though since we had just got on that road and hadn’t seen the speed limit sign. I do have a friend though who doesn’t drive often but loves to make sure that we follow the rules of the road while driving. He does his best to remind others when they might be going a little too fast and not to check their phone no matter how tempting it is. This is another reason why there should be more significance on drivers’ education and more demanding repercussions when disobeying the laws of the road. To become a better driver I will hold myself accountable for even the smallest of things because you never know a small flame can start a house fire so no issue is ever too small. I will work harder to obey speed limits even if I am only going 5 mph over. As for my friends I will make sure to remind them of the rules of the road and how dangerous it can be if they don’t follow them. Overall reducing road fatalities is a long process but through greater education and greater innovations in technology overtime the numbers will go down and safety on the roads will start to increase. As individuals start to take responsibility to drive safely and stay alert it encourages others to do the same. One person can’t change the world, that’s something we have to do together as a whole.