Name: Lainey Crawford
From: Nashville, TN
Votes: 0
In today’s
society, almost everyone uses a car in their day to day routines,
whether it’s for getting to and from work, traveling on vacation,
or simply going out to run errands. While there are other options of
transportation, such as public buses and bikes, it is not reasonable
to expect everyone to give up driving. This makes it all the more
important to encourage safe driving by providing knowledge and
education on the implications and rewards of driving safely. Because
so many deaths occur each year, it is beyond important to push
drivers ed as more and more people become new drivers.
Educating everyone on the importance of safe driving will not only
cause people to keep themselves safe, but it will also encourage
drivers to consider everyone around them and their safety as well.
Though
driving safely should always be a top
priority when behind
the wheel, we as drivers do let things distract us and get in the way
of safe driving at times. Some examples of distractions include cell
phones and eating. Cell phone and overall technology use has
increased tremendously over the past decade as more and more
advancements are being created. Not to say that smartphones are a bad
thing, but they do create a dangerous distraction as people are often
“glued” to their phones. When driving, this poses a great risk as
people are often seen texting and driving, and even watching videos
and scrolling social media while behind the wheel. It is vital to
ensuring the safety of others that phones are not being used when
operating a vehicle of any sort. A way to get in the habit of this is
turning your phone off, disabling notifications while driving, and
putting it out of reach. Failing to do so not only puts the driver’s
life at risk, but also the many other drivers and pedestrians at risk
too as there is not enough attention being paid to the road.
Another
distraction while driving is eating. While not every driver is always
eating while behind the wheel, those that do are mildly distracted
from safe driving. Often times, one hand is being used to drive,
while the other is busy holding food. While this may not seem
dangerous, using one hand to drive while the other does something
completely unrelated to safely operating the vehicle puts lives at
risk. The best way to avoid this is to simply park and eat, or even
wait until you have reached your destination before eating. Time
management is also very important when operating a vehicle. When late
for work, many people drive with a dangerous urgency to get to their
destination. This can create a dangerous driving environment as
people tend to speed and have increased impatience while on their way
to work.
I
unfortunately have been in one car accident when I was young due to a
driver running a red light. While there were no major injuries, it
still caused me to be afraid of being in cars for a while. I am not
sure if the driver just didn’t want to stop, thought they could
make it, or was distracted and didn’t see the red light. Regardless
of why it was run, it put my life, as well as my mom’s life in
danger. While I have overcome this fear, the experience still sticks
in my head and makes me very anxious at times.
In order
for everyone to become better safe drivers, I have to go through the
same steps to ensure that I am contributing to a safer driving
experience. I could always put my phone down, but especially when
driving as I am always changing my playlist and replying to texts. I
can also work on being more patient with other drivers, even when
they are being frustrating and not driving safely. As my “road
rage” increases, the safety of my driving decreases as I am more
distracted with being angry at other drivers.
