Driving Safety: The Rules of the Road

Driving safety is the most vital skill that anyone can possess. When someone is operating a vehicle, they are now responsible for not only their lives, but the lives of everyone around them. Being skillful, cautious, and courteous is not just a suggestion on how to be a good driver, it should be the main focus of anyone that operates a motor vehicle.

When someone is highly knowledgeable of the rules of the road, it allows them to understand how to operate and exist among the other people and cars who are out there with them. If everyone had the same higher level of knowledge, it would create a much safer environment as the people who are driving are all on the same page about being smart and safe while reaching their destination. With a majority of people who drive every day having a greater background in driving safety, there would undeniably be fewer accidents, injuries, and deaths.

One way that this objective can be accomplished is through driving tests that occur periodically throughout people’s lives. For example, most people get their license at sixteen, then in ten years or so, they must complete a written and physical driving test again. This repeats every ten years and can ensure that they do not forget the rules of the road, or the responsibility that comes with driving. As people reach certain higher ages, these tests may occur more frequently, such as every two or five years, which could even end in a cap on driving at a certain age. By having these repeating tests, it ensures that everyone is reminded of the laws, and there is little room for confusion.

Another option for reducing the number of deaths may be that there are more serious punishments for irresponsible or reckless driving. For example, the price of a ticket may be higher, or the ability of an officer to let someone off with a warning may no longer exist. Having a higher price on tickets would mean that some people are not able to pay for them and therefore would be forced to drive according to the law as they cannot afford anything else. This goes hand in hand with removing the option of a warning as drivers would no longer get second chances and therefore must always be driving safely. Overall, having a stricter set of rules to follow with more serious punishments would certainly persuade people to drive more carefully.

As for myself, I have never been in a car accident, but I have seen many of my friends and family members drive irresponsibly. This is typically due to them being on their phone while driving. This action, although seemingly harmless, is one of the biggest causes of accidents today. When the driver of the vehicle is distracted by something else, they are no longer able to have the reaction time or skills that they would have if they were one hundred percent focused on their driving. Whenever I am riding in the car with someone and they go on their phone, I politely ask them to wait until they arrive at the destination or have someone else in the vehicle do what they need. This allows them to refocus on their driving and ensure that everyone involved will reach the destinations as safely as possible. It is one thing being on the phone while driving when they are the only person in the car, but when there are other passengers, it is unsafe and careless.

For me personally, I believe that I can become a better driver by being more courteous on the road and leaving in a timely manner that does not require me to be in a rush. This would help improve my driving and make me a safer driver because it means that I would be more cautious of my surroundings, more aware of the other drivers on the road, and have a better ability to react and respond to what is happening around me. When I am in a rush, I tend to have less patience with other drivers, and this can cause there to be a decrease in my safety as I am now more focused on getting where I need to be in time, rather than getting there safely. However, if I were to make a point to give myself extra time to get where I need, I could therefore be more courteous to the other drivers and not put myself or other people at risk by driving recklessly.

In the end, driving safety is not something that should be taken lightly. It truly is a matter of life or death. Therefore, the biggest ways to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, is to be cautious of your surroundings, and be courteous to other drivers. Some steps that can be taken to ensure that the risk behind driving is lowered could be periodic driving tests ensuring everyone maintains a high level of driving knowledge, and the increase in the seriousness of the action of giving tickets. These two options would force drivers to be more careful, and therefore help lower deaths caused by operating vehicles.