Driver Education Initiative Award - Summer 2019
Four Thousand Pounds
Madeline Peloke
Powhatan, Virginia
Madeline
Peloke
Powhatan
High School
National
Driving and Traffic School
19
July 2019
Four
Thousand Pounds
Four thousand pounds. Imagine having four thousand pounds hit you, or four thousand pounds going seventy miles an hour straight into a tree; thats roughly 1043 Newtons hitting solid wood. A large car weighs four thousand pounds. Thats why being educated in safe driving is crucial. The difference between a focused and flippant driver is arriving to a destination and arriving to a funeral.
Ninety-four percent of car accidents are caused by driver error including: speeding, following too closely, not using a turn signal, not checking the surroundings, being an aggressive driver, and being distracted. The best way to prevent a driver-error accident is to drive defensively, meaning always be aware of whats going on and being ready to react if something dangerous or unexpected happens, such as an animal running across the street or another vehicle driving recklessly. A defensive driver must refrain from distractions and know the rules of the road. Being well educated in road safety and defensive driving will reduce the number of deaths and accidents in general, as long as the majority of drivers stick to this strategy. I typically drive defensively, but I personally need to do better tucking my phone away.
My family is adamant on driving safely because we almost lost a friend in an accident. My mother works in a small office, and all of the workers are incredibly close to each other to the point where they are almost a family. Their secretary was a young woman who was nine months pregnant, and one day the office asked her to go pick up lunch. She drove with no seatbelt and was on the phone with her mother. She crossed an intersection without looking and was rammed by a truck. She spun into the middle of the road, slammed her face into the dashboard, and suffered a blow to her stomach from her steering wheel. My mother and a coworker were the first to find her, covered in blood . My mother was shaking while her coworker ran to the car and tried to talk to the secretary. Eventually, the rest of the office showed up when they heard what happened. When the ambulance showed up, the office had to tell them what the name of the baby was, which was Charlotte, so they could try and comfort the secretary. My mom was the one to call the womans mother and husband, and my mom carried her shoes in the back of her car for a week. Luckily, she and Charlotte were okay, with the exception of a broken collarbone and a few broken ribs. The saddest part about this accident was that it was her fault, and that she couldve easily prevented it.
Our friend is a perfect example of the risks of driving and why its so important to be overly cautious and educated. Knowing the rules of the road and safety habits can greatly reduce the number of accidents and deaths caused by something that weighs four thousand pounds.
Works Cited
Marketing, Director Of Internet. Human Error Causes 94 Percent of Car Accidents. LawInfo Blog, 6 Sept. 2017,
blog.lawinfo.com/2017/09/06/human-error-causes-94-percent-of-car-accidents/.
Hg.org,
www.hg.org/legal-articles/fatal-car-accident-statistics-29836.
The Fatal Car Accident: When Speed Is a Factor. Maison Law, 22 Apr. 2019,
maisonlaw.com/2019/03/the-fatal-car-accident-when-speed-is-a-factor/.
Peloke
Powhatan
High School
National
Driving and Traffic School
19
July 2019
Four
Thousand Pounds
Four thousand pounds. Imagine having four thousand pounds hit you, or four thousand pounds going seventy miles an hour straight into a tree; thats roughly 1043 Newtons hitting solid wood. A large car weighs four thousand pounds. Thats why being educated in safe driving is crucial. The difference between a focused and flippant driver is arriving to a destination and arriving to a funeral.
Ninety-four percent of car accidents are caused by driver error including: speeding, following too closely, not using a turn signal, not checking the surroundings, being an aggressive driver, and being distracted. The best way to prevent a driver-error accident is to drive defensively, meaning always be aware of whats going on and being ready to react if something dangerous or unexpected happens, such as an animal running across the street or another vehicle driving recklessly. A defensive driver must refrain from distractions and know the rules of the road. Being well educated in road safety and defensive driving will reduce the number of deaths and accidents in general, as long as the majority of drivers stick to this strategy. I typically drive defensively, but I personally need to do better tucking my phone away.
My family is adamant on driving safely because we almost lost a friend in an accident. My mother works in a small office, and all of the workers are incredibly close to each other to the point where they are almost a family. Their secretary was a young woman who was nine months pregnant, and one day the office asked her to go pick up lunch. She drove with no seatbelt and was on the phone with her mother. She crossed an intersection without looking and was rammed by a truck. She spun into the middle of the road, slammed her face into the dashboard, and suffered a blow to her stomach from her steering wheel. My mother and a coworker were the first to find her, covered in blood . My mother was shaking while her coworker ran to the car and tried to talk to the secretary. Eventually, the rest of the office showed up when they heard what happened. When the ambulance showed up, the office had to tell them what the name of the baby was, which was Charlotte, so they could try and comfort the secretary. My mom was the one to call the womans mother and husband, and my mom carried her shoes in the back of her car for a week. Luckily, she and Charlotte were okay, with the exception of a broken collarbone and a few broken ribs. The saddest part about this accident was that it was her fault, and that she couldve easily prevented it.
Our friend is a perfect example of the risks of driving and why its so important to be overly cautious and educated. Knowing the rules of the road and safety habits can greatly reduce the number of accidents and deaths caused by something that weighs four thousand pounds.
Works Cited
Marketing, Director Of Internet. Human Error Causes 94 Percent of Car Accidents. LawInfo Blog, 6 Sept. 2017,
blog.lawinfo.com/2017/09/06/human-error-causes-94-percent-of-car-accidents/.
Hg.org,
www.hg.org/legal-articles/fatal-car-accident-statistics-29836.
The Fatal Car Accident: When Speed Is a Factor. Maison Law, 22 Apr. 2019,
maisonlaw.com/2019/03/the-fatal-car-accident-when-speed-is-a-factor/.
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