Driving Responsibly

Driving education is extremely important when it comes to driving responsibly because without it there would be a huge uprise in accidents and drivers safety. In the U.S., distracted driving has killed 3,500 people and injured 475,000 people in 2016 alone. As for during just daylight hours there are 660,000 people who use electronic devices while driving. Although using your phone while driving is one way of being distracted it is not the only form of distracted driving. These also include things like eating, drinking, changing the radio, putting on makeup, reaching in the backseat or nearly anything that would allow you to take your hands off of the wheel.

Some things that we can do to become less distracted on the road are simple things like turning your phone on silent or some phones have a driving mode on them where they already silent your messages until you are out the car and safe. Obey the traffic laws and be aware of your surroundings, wear your seatbelt, keep your eyes on the road, and many more. The more people who become aware of these distractions and the consequences it can have the better we can be on the road.

Unfortunately, I know all to well when it comes to distracted driving or just not being responsible on the road. In September of 2015, the beginning of my senior year of high school a former classmate of mine was in the car with someone who was underage, driving without a license, and was on the phone. He rolled through a stop sign and their truck was t-boned by another car and a few days later on September 23, 2015 he passed away. I wish I could say that was my only brush with driving accidents but a few years later on May 30, 2019 another former classmate and friend of mine was in a motorcycle accident late at night and it was believed that he was maybe not driving so responsibly and he crashed into a roundabout and died almost instantly. A few days later on June 5, 2019 a classmate that I had graduated with was in a car accident and he collided with another car and they both died.

Some steps we can take to be better drivers are simple. Put your phone down, stop trying to show off in front of your friends, obey the traffic laws and rules of the road, have enough willpower to keep your hands and eyes on the road until you reach your destination. If everyone followed these precautions the roads would be a lot safer and we would have better driving habits than we do now. I know all to well what it is like to lose people close to me due to car accidents and distracted driving or irresponsible driving. You want to arrive at your destination safe ande believe me your family is going to be better off knowing your arrived safe rather than getting there fast.