The Driver’s Seat Dangers

Rebecca West once said, “like all bad drivers, he thought he was the best driver in the world.” Many bad drivers are overly confident in their abilities which not only puts themselves in danger but also other people. Many bad drivers tend to be teenagers who are experiencing their first dose of freedom when they get their license. With this new freedom, they often times fail to see the new responsibility that also comes with it. Car crashes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Driving irresponsibly has become normalized in our society today, but we can take so many things ourselves to reduce this number and other changes to have less driving deaths.

One simple way to help reduce deaths caused by car crashes is to put a greater emphasis on drivers education. Many kids who get their license are unaware of how much thought goes into a car. Drivers education is sometimes taken as a joke, but students need to pay attention when they take this class. This would help reduce the number of deaths because they would be more likely to know how to react in stressful situations if they were already taught about them in class. Education should be the first step in reducing deaths.

Another step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to have mandatory tests every five or ten years when people renew their license. As people get older, they tend to either forget the rules of the road or care less about following the rules. If they had to take a test every few years, people would be more likely to remember the rules of the road and follow them which would create a safer environment on the road.

Personally, there are a few steps I can take myself to become a better driver too. One step I can take is not playing music very loud when I drive. I love listening to music when I drive, but sometimes the song can be distracting if it is played too loud. I need to be aware of times when the music distracts me, so I know when to turn it off. Many of my friends could apply this to their life as well. Another step I could take to become a safer driver is try to stay calm when I drive. I, like many others, tend to become agitated when someone is going slow in front of me. If I stay calm, I am more likely to make safe decisions and not act on impulse. By handling road rage in a safe way, the roads will be a safer place for everyone.

Almost everyone knows somebody who was in a car accident or was in one themselves. One experience that sticks out to me is when one of my best friends was in one and totaled her car. Thankfully, everyone involved was able to walk away, but this is not always the case. She made the mistake of being on her phone while driving, so she did not see the car coming at her. All because of one mistake driving she could have severely hurt herself and someone else. I was not in the car when she was driving irresponsibly, but it worries me how it has become so normalized to drive distracted. You may not think you are putting yourself in danger, but just think of how your actions can affect others because not everyone is always lucky.

What you do driving affects everyone on the road and not just you. People should not want to contribute to the number of deaths related to driving, so they need to do their part to drive safe whether that means changing their driving habits or becoming better informed on the rules of the road. If everyone makes little changes to be safer drivers, the amount of deaths will greatly reduce and ultimately make driving a better experience for everyone.