Consciousness of The Road

Consciousness of the Road

In 2012, there were 34,000 fatalities caused by car accidents. That is a number that could be simply overlooked. Our carelessness took the lives of 34,000 people. Each and every one of those people left this world without completing their destiny. All 34,000 of those people were loved greatly and our carelessness caused pain to thousands more as they grieved the loss of their loved one. Each of those deaths could have been prevented and however we are not given the opportunity to reimburse the damage, we can educate drivers about safety while driving to potentially reduce the number of deaths caused by car accidents. At the time we receive our license, we believe that we are invincible. We are told to wear seatbelts, obey the speed limit, stay off our phones and not to drive while intoxicated. However, we become too confident in our ability to drive and often overlook these things. It only takes a glance off the road to not only end your life, but the lives of others. Currently in New York State if you get three texting violations, you get your license revoked. Under no circumstance is it acceptable to pick up your phone while driving. We should not be given a warning, we need to inform the public the moment their hand reaches for their phone they become a criminal.

I personally have never been in a car accident; however I have seen my friends and family drive irresponsibly. I feel very uncomfortable in those moments and I do not ask them to stop, I demand them in order to protect our lives and the lives around us. I am currently a student at Shenendehowa and in 2012, there was a traumatic accident that took two of our students’ lives and left two severely injured fighting for their lives. This was a result of an intoxicated driver. The town still mourns this horrific accident. There is a billboard on Route 9 in Clifton Park displaying a picture of Deanna Rivers, one of the students that lost their lives. On the billboard it says, “She wanted to be an elementary school teacher, drive sober.” This is a simple reminder to protect the lives of those in our community. Together we pledged to prevent this from happening again in the future.

In New York State we should be required to take safety driving courses in order to maintain our license. This will inform those of the rules of the road and to not take advantage of their privilege. Another option is to reschedule driving tests every few years to ensure the consciousness and awareness of these drivers. Technology may also be able to further the safety of our drivers. Improvements such as a required breathalyzer to start your car could decrease the amount of intoxicated drivers on the road. Driver safety is very important and should be taken more seriously. No one deserves to have their life taken from a car accident caused by careless drivers. The more we inform the public, there will be a decrease of deaths revolving car accidents.