Do Your Part

Do Your Part

Hernan Adames- Incer

You’ve all seen the statistics. Driving is very dangerous. The problem is that, unlike smoking, or bungee jumping, you really can’t avoid driving. Whether you’re the driver, or the lucky copilot, there is a certain risk you take while entering an automobile. So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s see what we can do to improve our chances of surviving in a car.

First off, you’ve got to take the lessons. Imagine you’re in a class, taking a test that you didn’t study for, but the class is a car, and the test was the driver’s education you were supposed to be awake during. Not my idea of a good time. The idea here is that if you take your driver’s education, and take it seriously, you know what to do. On paper, that is. What you learn in the classroom can be applicable to driving in a world where everyone uses their turn signals, but we all know that isn’t the case. Another important component in the driver’s education is putting the textbook into practice. The more hours you spend on the road doing the right thing, the better you’ll get.

Another important component to staying alive in a car is awareness. Basically, you don’t want to zone out in a vehicle moving at 60+ miles an hour. Taking your eyes off the road for just a brief second is a lot of ground covered, so that’s where we’ll start. Never take your peepers off the road. If you’ve got an incoming call, or that awful song keeps repeating on the radio, grit your teeth and ignore it. Trust me, making it to your home in one piece is more important than any call you’re going to get. If there’s someone else in the car, it may be a good idea to ask them to do anything you need instead of doing it yourself. However, conversing with people, or focusing too much on your music can be just as distracting as texting and driving. Also, make sure to get your 8 hours in. Nothing is more terrifying than seeing someone that is obviously sleep deprived swerving on the interstate. In fact driving tired can almost be as bad as driving drunk. Speaking about driving drunk, don’t do it. Get someone else to take you home, and the same thing applies to drugs.

See, when you take all of these things into consideration, you’re not only increasing your chance of survival, but of those around you. Whether they be the passengers in the car, or the other drivers, doing your part makes the road safer. Instead of being overwhelmed with numbers and statistics that you can’t control, focus on what you can do and make sure you’re the best driver on that road.