Dangers of Driving: How to Drive Safely and Be Responsible

Driving impacts our lives in many ways, whether it be to get to work, accidents involving our loved ones, and even emissions that cause global warming. It is really important to understand how driver education can help reduce deaths, what other steps can reduce the number of deaths, and what we can all do to help others become safer on the road.

Driver education is extremely important when it comes to reducing the number of deaths on the road. I actually had taken a driver’s ed class, and it helped me understand how responsible you have to be on the road to avoid hurting others. The class mostly consisted of scare factor stories that got our attention, but it was really effective. Educating teenagers about driving can set in good habits early as they start to become drivers. Learning things like not texting and driving, not driving while you are tired, or drunk driving can prevent many accidents and tragedies.

Like I stated previously, some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to car accidents have to do with texting and driving, driving while you are sleepy, drunk driving, and even not having your car in good shape. Anti-texting-and-driving campaigns have become extremely common as of late; this is awesome because it accurately shows the dangers of doing so. Putting your phone away and off your lap or in your hand can prevent the temptation of looking at it. Driving while you are tired is almost as bad as driving while you are drunk. To prevent this, always try to get a good night’s sleep, and if you are driving for many hours and you become tired, try pulling over at a gas station and taking a quick nap. Next, for drunk driving, always have a designated driver with you. If you don’t, calling an Uber is your Plan B. Finally, there are people who have problems with their car’s maintenance. This could include your tires and breaks. Always make sure they are doing well, and if your brakes are getting squeaky, go get them checked out, especially if it is winter time where it’s harder to stop from ice and snow. If you get a flat tire, see if there is a car shop nearby where you could buy a new one; if there isn’t, pull over and call a tow. Overall, listen to your car and take care of it the best you can.

Before I was born, my mom got into a motorcycle accident when she was in college. This caused her to have severe neck pain that was coupled with her scoliosis. She ended up dropping out of college because she couldn’t concentrate. That story is what makes me want to drive safe and have others drive safe too. For me and others to drive safely, we just need to follow the rules of the road the best we can, and be kind and patient to one another. People can be so impatient on the road, we all just need to take a step back and remember that we are all human, and getting somewhere late is a heck of a lot better than causing an accident. Driving impacts us all in many ways, but together we can make the road a safer place.