Drive Better, Live Longer

Maxine
Woods

July
14, 2019

Drive
Better, Live Longer

As
a 17-year-old teenager, driving has opened up many opportunities for
me. I’m able to get to school on my own, drive to the movies with my
friends, etc. It has given me more freedom to hang out with people
without having to rely on my parents for a ride. But as nature goes
without saying, “With Freedom Comes Responsibility”.

Being
able to drive may provide freedom and more opportunities, but with
that also comes with more opportunities to get in a crash and
possibly die. That is why driver’s-ed is important. New studies have
shown that young drivers who have not completed drivers ed
are about 75% more likely to receive traffic tickets and 24% more
likely to get involved in a crash resulting in fatal injuries. Taking
driver’s-ed can reduce that percentage by providing useful
information such as ‘why speeding isn’t always going to get you there
on time’ or ‘why using signals can tell other drivers what you’re
doing’. It may be a hassle to take a drivers ed class, but unless
you want to be one of the numbers that get involved in a crash,
taking a class would probably be your best bet in avoiding this.

Fortunately,
I’ve never gotten into an accident and I hope to keep it that way.
Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related
to driving include driving sober, getting rid of distractions, and
speed limits. Drunk driving has claimed over 10,000 lives in 2012 and
most of these drunk driving accidents were caused by drivers between
the ages of 21 and 24 or 34% of all alcohol-impaired deaths. Along
with driving sober, getting rid of distractions can spare many lives.
The National Safety Council reported that distracted driving such as
cell phone use while driving led to approximately 1.6 million crashes
each year. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the US is caused by
texting and driving. It’s simple, putting the phone away while
driving can avoid many of these fatal crashes, and on the upside, it
will prevent any tickets from the police regarding texting and
driving. Last but not least, following speed limits on the road can
have many benefits and can avoid any unnecessary tickets and fatal
crashes. If one takes driver’s-ed, it is constantly repeated that the
faster you go on the road, the less control you have on the car. In
2017, speeding killed 9,717 people, which is approximately 26% of all
traffic fatalities that year. Worst of all, 49% of speeding drivers
in these fatal crashes (in 2017) were not wearing seatbelts. Staying
in control of your car (by not speeding) and fastening your seat belt
can save many lives including you and your loved ones.

While
driving may hold many opportunities, it is still important to learn
the causes of accidents and use that to become a better and safer
driver for you and others on the road. It could mean putting on that
seat belt or just toning your speed down by 5 mph, but if it means
saving lives and avoiding crashes, doing them would be doing everyone
a favor. So the next time you get in a car, remember to drive safer
for everyone’s sake.