How and Why We Should Drive More Safely

How and Why We Should Drive More Safely

Driving is much more dangerous than people realize, with tens of
thousands of driver-related deaths occurring every year. It can cause
intense emotional pain to one and their family, which I have had the
unfortunate chance to experience. If we are to stop such tragic
events from occurring as often in the future, we must recognize the
value of drivers ed as a means to this end, and the government
must take the necessary steps to reduce the amount of driver-related
deaths. Additionally, us individuals must work to drive more safely
and get others to do so for everyone’s sake.

Drivers ed is crucial for reducing driver-related deaths, and
drivers of any experience level would benefit from constantly
reminding themselves of the rules of the road. The reason for this is
that even if one thinks they already know how to drive since they
have done it for years, in reality many people regularly commit minor
traffic violations due to simply forgetting the correct ways to
drive, since not all of driving is just “common sense.” For
example, a common mistake people make is rolling stops on
intersections with stop signs instead of complete stops. Many may
think there is no need, legal or otherwise, to completely stop at
stop signs, but failing to do so could cause an accident from pulling
too soon into an intersection. There are many other similar instances
for why people should periodically relearn traffic laws, which is why
drivers ed should not be overlooked.

When I was younger, I witnessed my uncle and grandfather get into a
car accident with a bus in Mexico due to not checking the
intersection before taking a turn. While I may not have fully
understood the situation back then, I did know that my family
suffered by the mere fact that they got into an accident, and now I
realize that if anything went worse than it did, the two of them
could easily have lost their lives. Driving makes death exceedingly
simple, which is why traffic laws should be updated to include
harsher penalties to further discourage breaking them, and incentives
should be instituted for keeping a clean record on one’s license.
This way, people have a greater motive to drive safer. Additionally,
individuals must play a part in this effort; we must put away all
distractions while driving even if they’re not specifically
prohibited by law, such as eating or using the radio. We must also
tell other drivers about this, either by reminding them to look at
the road at all times when you’re their passenger, or by creative
ways such as establishing competitions between friends to see who can
pay the most attention to the road.

We cannot underestimate the dangers of driving and the emotional
impact of accidents, which is why we cannot ignore drivers ed,
and why both the government and individuals must follow the above
steps to make driving safer for all.