Steer You Way to Safety

Zeeshan
Ahmed

01
August 2019

Steer
Your Way to Safety

One
Second. One second of distraction from the road is all it takes to
end a life. The question we, as drivers, should ask each other is
whether or not our phones are worth risking our lives. Everyday there
are reported incidents on the news about car crash fatalities that
are a result of something as absurd as texting while driving.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, greater
than 32,000 people are killed and 2 million are wounded each year
from motor vehicle crashes that are a result of drivers being
ill-educated.

In
today’s society, technology has become so integrated into our lives
that most of us cannot live without it. Usage of electronic devices
such as cell phones and music players have become so common that
drivers from all over the world utilize while driver them without
contemplating the consequences of their actions. Most of these
drivers don’t think twice before doing something that can
jeopardize the lives of everyone on the road, which according to the
Association for the Advancement of is due to the lack of
driver-related education. The first step in solving a problem is
identifying that there is one, and in the case of driving safety that
step is education. Driving related education is so paramount that it
can be the difference between life and death whilst on the road.
Today’s youth is not too found of boring lectures and videos so the
way that the information for driving safety is presented needs to be
revised in order for the knowledge to stick in people’s heads. The
second step in order to reduce the number of driving related deaths
is for drivers to pay attention to the minute details such as always
buckling in their seatbelts, obeying the speed limit, and operating
their vehicles without distractions. I can say for certain that
paying attention to things that might seem insignificant is crucial
whilst driving because I myself have also been in a car accident. I
remember it like it was yesterday, the adrenaline pumping through my
veins, the cloudiness of my vision as my friends surrounded me. My
car crash seems miniscule to some of the ones I’ve heard about, but
it still left me with physical and emotional pain. Before my accident
I used to consider myself a safe driver, as I’m sure many other
drivers do, but after analyzing the events that led me to my demise,
I can say without a doubt that many drivers, including myself, are
careless and unsafe.

In
conclusion what I’ve come to understand is that while technology
and alcohol may seem like a fun way to relieve stress, the roads are
no place for them. There are several things that common everyday
people like us can do to eradicate this widespread epidemic of
irresponsible driving. If everyone raises their voices and alerts
family and friends about the repercussions of recklessly operating a
vehicle, soon enough, the roads of America will be a safer place for
children and adults alike.