On the Road

On the Road

Driver education like any other education is fundamental. Making drivers aware of collected data can play a huge role in driver awareness. To understand the cause of accidents, what actions to take if involved in an accident and what measures can help with preventing accidents are all great practices for drivers. However, with the variations in dispositions of people, you can only feel that there are no amount of steps that can be taken in the hopes of reducing deaths. It’s just not practical.

Despite the passing of legislative laws that regulate particular safety requirements to be met by the automotive industries, the number of deaths remain higher than need be. Why? It is mostly said to be due to human error. Is this a valid statement? Slightly. Human error undoubtedly plays a part in these catastrophes; however, human error is not the only one in question. So who or what is responsible for these misfortunes? Well, there are a multitude of pieces that can be taken into account. Just to mention a few: a manufacturer’s recall on your vehicle, line of travel, a trip worthy vehicle, the amount of distractions inside of your vehicle, alcohol, drugs, lack of sleep, the urgency of wanting to arrive at your destination sooner than later and the list goes on and on. Any one of these variables can be a factor. It’s important to view the big picture and evaluate all potential hazards you may encounter. Identifying road blocks early on may better prepare you for your surroundings. Developing good pre-travel habits may be crucial in deterring accidents. Nevertheless, it will for a fact promote awareness and arm drivers with vital methods required for safe travel. Supposing that drivers are well informed and following the “steps” for safe driving. Is it enough to substantially reduce the amount of deaths? Again, my personal opinion is no.

Personally, I’ve never been involved in an accident and I am grateful for that. However, my grandfather almost died in an automobile/motorcycle accident. Statistically these accidents usually happen close to home and that is exactly what happened. The devastation it caused was unimaginable. Financial setbacks. Arrangements needed for a funeral if death occurred. Astronomical medical bills. Insurance claims. All in all, It’s bothersome to sit back and examine the effects of such hardships our family underwent. Such an abrupt burden to be subject to. Such an unsavory crisis to conquer. Such a grief-stricken pain to bear. Saying goodbye to a loved one is difficult in itself but saying goodbye to a loved one unexpectedly is devastating. It was hit-or-miss with my grandfather’s recovery. Luckily he pulled through and survived his injuries. In spite of surviving his life threatening injuries, he paid a huge price of not being able to do the things that he loved. So how as a democracy are we to resolve this topic in question?

The only real way to reduce the amount of casualties is to eradicate the Automotive Industry. Is that likely to happen? No. Furthermore with the amount of present distractions, it is likely that the number of deaths will once again increase. Unfortunately it will always be a never ending cycle until legitimate actions are taken. The only actions that I can see would be actions that violate one’s personal rights. As of now, our society is not ready for these types of oversights.