The Long and Dangerous Road

The
Long and Dangerous Road

Written
by Shelby Dupree

What
is the one thing that almost all Americans have in common?

Driving.

With
the whole nation on the roads, it’s no surprise that accidents
happen, and people die. Driving can be extremely dangerous, even
without drunk or distracted drivers. Roads themselves can be
confusing. Drivers ed is extremely important to make sure that
people understand who has the right of way, and how that works.
People need to understand when it’s okay to turn right at a red
light, and when not to. The most important issue I run into often is
people assuming no one else will be on the road, and driving on the
wrong side.

This
is a PSA for the drivers in my community, and all others with this
problem.

Please
don’t assume you are alone. Please drive on your side of the yellow
lines. I’d very much like to be able to drive to work without
always having a heart attack as you drive 20mph above the speed limit
on my side. This isn’t the UK. You get the right lane. I get the
lane on your left. Stay in your lane. Please.

Perhaps
they drive in the middle of the road due to the decline in road
conditions, such as potholes, receded edges, and cracks. This could
be one step taken towards reducing the number of driving-related
deaths: road repair. I understand that it may not be realistic to
expect all rural roads to be updated by those responsible for the
roads, but it would definitely decrease the amount of people driving
over the yellow lines. If you’re able to drive on your own side
without fear of losing a tire or damaging your wheel alignment, then
maybe more people would do so more often. Though the issue may not
lie with assumptions of isolation, but with texting and driving.

This
topic has been covered time and time again, and it still hasn’t
been fixed. How can you fix human behavior, though? The action of
texting while driving is already illegal, so what other actions can
be taken for road safety? The answer may be awareness.

Commercials.
Radio ads. Online ads. Text alerts issued by the state. Mail. Any and
all means of mass communication to raise awareness of this deadly
issue to the public could possibly save lives. Statistics show
estimations of how many drivers are killed by distracted driving
habits. This is why I never text and drive.

Along
with setting down my phone while driving, there are other things I
could do to be even safer on the road. Making sure I stay a safe
distance from the car in front of me and drive slower when the car
behind me is following too closely are two ways I can actively avoid
wrecks. Another way includes checking to make sure perpendicular
traffic has stopped before going at a light after it turns green.

Maybe
if more drivers followed these ideas, there would be fewer wrecks,
and fewer deaths. The future of road safety lies not with the drivers
of today, but with the drivers of tomorrow. Educating America’s
freshest batch of drivers is essential to a safer America. The road
may be long, but it doesn’t have to be dangerous.