Name: Evan Creighton Niehoff
From: Charlottesville, Virginia
Votes: 0
Violently
accelerating, cutting between lanes, I watched the vehicle approach
me from behind. This driver was dangerously aggressive and traveling
at unsafe speeds. As the vehicle closed in on my tail then swerved
around me, I thought of how many accidents they had almost caused. I
continued on my way, glad the driver was past me. My thoughts were
wrenched back to reality when I saw the vehicle on the side of the
road, this time, for a ticket. Realizing how easily that stop could
have been a much more abrupt and fatal one, I questioned why so many
people drive recklessly.
Whether
to look cool or get somewhere sooner, many people routinely exceed
the speed limit. Understanding the risks of speeding is vital to
reducing fatalities. Many forget that not only is the force of impact
greater at higher speeds, but the probability of an impact is
significantly higher. Nearby cars become a maze of obstacles to pass,
yellow lights become more difficult, and turns become more dangerous.
A thorough understanding of why it’s more dangerous to speed is
important and should be taught in drivers’ education. Speeding is
the number two cause of crash fatalities in the U.S., responsible for
just 1% fewer fatalities than drunk driving.
While
more people speed, impaired driving is extremely dangerous. That’s
why it’s necessary to educate people about the dangers of impaired
driving.
Preplanning
is critical. Calling someone to pick you up might be embarrassing and
uncomfortable, particularly for teenagers, but it can save lives.
While teens shouldn’t be drinking, the reality is many do.
Therefore, they may need a safe way to get home without alerting
their parents. Intoxicated people are not known for sound decision
making, and driving drunk may seem more appealing than calling their
parents. Teaching teens and adult students about alternatives can
save many lives.
I believe that a
lesson on how to set up and use an uber account will reduce the
number of deaths from drunk driving. Adding such a lesson would take
minimal time and has the potential to save countless lives.
Distracted
driving, particularly texting, is the third leading cause of fatal
accidents. This is a serious issue and bound to grow as the younger
generations of phone users continue to enter the road system. I
believe that texting should disabled while the car is in motion.
I
personally have been in the car with people who text and drive, drive
aggressively, and have consumed alcohol. Fortunately, this has never
caused an accident, but seeing the near misses solidified my desire
to avoid the things that nearly caused them to crash. To be a safer
driver, I will not exceed the speed limit, especially in an
aggressive manner, I will never drink and drive, and I will not look
at my phone while driving unless absolutely necessary.
I
see the dangers of reckless driving and will tell my peers about the
potentially fatal consequences of aggressive, intoxicated or
distracted driving.
