Select Page

Round 3 – Are You Keeping Yourself Safe?

Name: Victoria May Spencer
From: Garfield, AR
Votes: 0

Are You Keeping Yourself Safe?

In 2019 alone, 5,869 teens, ages 15-20, were killed in a deadly car accident. Just from the ages of 16-19, that is 9 teens killed a day. People ignore the dangers of driving even though it’s an everyday risk. Many steps can be taken to reduce these terrible numbers and keep our driving teens safe. What people forget about is that there’s a perfect class to help.

Driving academies are located all around the United States. It’s a class to teach kids how to operate their car on the interstate, in dangerous situations, and at night. Going into driving, teens think they know everything. How to avoid accidents and what to do in one. What they don’t know is how effective driving education can be. It could save their life. They are taught what to do in dangerous situations that could save their life. For example, what way to turn their wheels when they hydroplane.

Many steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths from driving. Do not drink and drive. 8 teens die a day from drunk driving. If you get drunk, call an uber or a friend to come pick you up. Doing this won’t only save your life but the other people on the road around you. Another step is to avoid distractions like phones. 9 people die a day from being on their phones while driving. Phone calls and text messages can always wait. Those people care about your safety as well. People can put their phones in Do Not Disturb mode to avoid even thinking about answering a call or responding to a text. Going onto the next step is don’t speed. Not only will this reduce the number of accidents, but it’ll also reduce the number of times a person is pulled over for speeding. 32% of deadly accidents occur between 3 pm and 9 pm because of speeding. Going the appropriate speed limit gives the person the proper amount of reaction time that can save their life.

I have only been in one accident. I was stopped at a 4 way waiting for my turn to go when the lady behind me didn’t realize she lifted her foot off the break when she turned around to check on her child. Thankfully, my bumper was the only thing damaged on both of our cars. I also haven’t been in many cars where the driver was driving irresponsibly. There have been some instances in my life where I have feared being in the car with a person because they would disregard the speed limit, but I am surrounded by responsible drivers.

There will always be steps to help make our teens safer drivers. You should always think about safety first. Wear your seatbelt every time you drive. This can prevent you from being thrown out of the car when in an accident. Pay attention to your surroundings. This is why we have mirrors on cars. Check them often to know what’s going on around you. If you see signs of an aggressive driver, slow down or stop to avoid it. Keep your eyes open for pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles. You should never depend on the people around you. Don’t think they are going to move out of the way for you. If you have to slow down, that’s okay. Use the 3 to 4-second rule in traffic. This allows you to keep some distance from cars and give you a proper reaction time if something happens. Now, if it’s pouring down rain and it just snowed the night before, you should increase the distance between you and other cars. We’re back to speed again. Go the speed limit. Higher speeds can be hard to control your vehicle and increase the chances of an accident. The final step is take a driving education class. Drivng academies will go through each one of these more thoroughly plus other tips. It prepares you for the road ahead.

In the end, it’s about taking the time to read through some safety tips that could quite possibly save your life. Driving is a risk we take everyday so it’s important to know these. Driving academies are a great first step. Not only will you learn about safety, but some insurers will give a discount for taking it. I mean, who doesn’t want to save money?