Safe Driving Saves Lives

Madelyn French

Phoenix, Arizona

18 October 2020

Safe Driving Saves Lives

The economic and societal impact of road crashes costs U.S. citizens $871 billion annually. More importantly, an average of 34,000 people die each year as a result of driving in the U.S. (Road Safety Facts). That’s 34,000 beatless hearts and broken families. There is no need to take away precious lives over something as routine as going to work or the store. Knowing the importance of driving can help prevent unnecessary deaths.

Certainly, educating drivers can help to reduce the amount of deaths that comes from driving. It is hard to put into perspective what can happen if you drive irresponsibility, so that is why making driving school mandatory for new drivers is extremely important. Without this, people will not be able to conceptualize the true power a motor vehicle has. The real life examples they display in the classes help to leave an impact on the driver and can make them think twice before doing something reckless on the road. I recently received my first speeding ticket. I didn’t know it at the time, but I put not only my life, but other lives at risk. I didn’t think I needed driving school, nor did I think it was going to be beneficial, but I could not have been more wrong. The real life stories they share brought me to tears. It put the severity of being behind the wheel into perspective and I feel that the speeding ticket was a blessing in disguise.

There are an immense amount of ways to prevent driving related deaths. “An estimated 14,955 lives were saved by seat belts nationwide in 2017” (Seat Belt Statistics). Seat belts protect us more than we know. Driving impaired or at an unsafe speed is the most dangerous thing one can do. Speeding to arrive on time to work isn’t worth risking your life or somebody else’s. It’s better to just be a few minutes late than dead. It’s also a proven fact that the human brain cannot multitask. Doing anything behind the wheel besides driving is inexcusable.

In general, everyone has at least seen or been a part of an accident, but the feeling of your heart sinking when one of your best friends was in an accident is indescribable. I was sitting in my first hour class when I received a text saying she was in a bad accident. I visited her that day after school and I could tell how shaken up she was. She had bruises all over her knees and chest and seemed extremely defeated. She is and forever will be one of the strongest people I know.

I am going to do my part by following the rules of the road and preach to my friends and family about the importance of safe driving. I’m a small person in a busy world, but a little bit can go a long way.