Driving Comes With Awareness

A
car accident is like a fast paced scene in a movie: there is little
to no time to react yet it is like you are moving in slow motion. I
remember the day I was in a car accident as the day began as any
other morning with me heading to school at 7:00 am. That morning, I
never thought that one minute I would be sitting in the passenger
seat while reading over my notes for my English Exam and then the
next minute I would be sitting in an ambulance with immense pain
shooting through my shoulder and jaw and my forearm slowly going
numb. It all happened in a split second and that split second was the
result of an unlicensed individual running a stop sign.

Many
of my family members have been in car accidents during their lives
and so experiencing one for myself was indescribable. I wanted to
know what could possess someone to break one of the most fundamental
driving rules which is to stop at a stop sign. It made me question
the point of there being a permit test and driving test when people
are only going to soon reject all that they have learned. In
accordance with the association for safe international road travel,
in the United States alone, “over 37,000
people die in road crashes each year,” while, “2.35 million are
injured or disabled.” As the years continue to go by, motor vehicle
collisions are becoming more and more prevalent within the United
States. What exactly should be the first step in curing this
rising epidemic before it becomes nearly unmanageable? Would it be
realistic to just stop people from driving all together? Of course
that wouldn’t be a realistic idea, but the first steps that should
be taken to limit the amount of car accidents is understanding the
independence behind driving.

It
was clear to me then and still is now that people only do what they
need to in order to pass the tests that would enable them to drive on
the road. Individuals don’t consider the full length responsibility
that comes with driving on the road.Responsibility that is to be
upheld with driving is what should be taken into perspective. When
deciding to be behind the wheel, one must understand that they are
responsible for the lives of pedestrians, other drivers, and also
those within the vehicle. I think that one of the best ways to teach
irresponsible drivers the importance of being responsible behind the
wheel is using hands on simulations of scenarios and using virtual
simulations that reflect the reality of motor vehicle accidents and
the potential death and injuries that follow.

The
many scenarios that would be included in the simulations would be
drunk driving, driving without a license, running a stop light,
running a stop sign, and more. These simulations would play out the
scenes in which car accidents are likely to occur in order to
physical teach drivers the consequences of not taking the
responsibility of driving seriously. The virtual simulations would
allow for potential drivers to experience through 3D environments the
importance of drivers safety as those participating would go through
drills and receive feedback on their decision making while behind the
wheel.

I
have always believed that the best way to learn something is to
experience it first hand and retain the information that followed the
hands on engagement. Using simulations and virtual reality, future
drivers would be able to learn the dangers that follow being
irresponsible while driving. When driving, an individual must not be
selfish with their driving ways because, as stated previously,
driving isn’t just about the driver. Driving is about all of those
around the driver since it is the duty of the driver to ensure the
safety of others. To conclude, unless my ideas are put into affect in
the near future, I will use my own experience and my knowledge of
driving in order to reach out to as many drivers as I can to drive
safely. I would not want anyone else to endure the ongoing pain I
often feel due to my car accident so I want those around me to
understand the significance in taking driving seriously.