How to Save a Life

For many youths, a driving course is simply an opportunity to learn to drive and ultimately get their driver’s license. I believe we can agree that driving education is more than just learning to drive. Driver’s education is of extreme importance because the driving course will probably be the last time many will be formally educated on this matter. Additionally, and most importantly, mishaps while driving is a matter of life and death. I don’t know what changes have been made if any since I took my driving course, but one step towards saving lives is to include a section on driving programs and the assessments regarding the deadly consequences of not following safety and defensive driving guidelines, number of fatalities for the year, and most frequent causes for fatal and non-fatal accidents.

Many years ago, when I was in my late teens, I was the driver in an automobile accident. Then, about five years ago my pregnant wife and son were also involved in a serious car accident. On these instances both my wife and I were being careful drivers, yet we were still involved on these incidents. People are more careful after something like this happens, but why wait until our lives and those of others are endangered for us to learn good driving habits. Besides a driver’s course, further steps can be taken for everyone to be a safer driver.

First, awareness needs to be created, and one simple way to begin is through social media. This initiative can start at a city level, and a greater outreach effort can be made in cities with higher accident and fatality rates. I believe awareness campaigns should include statistics and testimonials which would be powerful motivators. Campaigns should of course include material regarding cell phone usage and substance abuse while driving which have become huge factors on automobile accidents. Equally important would be to include resources that people can use to become better drivers. We can never be too careful while driving, and people should be educated or re-educated of the importance of always practicing defensive driving. In both accidents involving my family and me, awareness and better defensive driving skills could have avoided the unfortunate incidents.

Furthermore, something people can do, especially those of us with families, is to educate our children at home about the importance of driving safely and defensively. Parents can have a strong influence over their children, and this provides a great opportunity to educate them about driving safety. Us parents should not rely solely on the driving course; we should take the time to teach our children what we have learned over the years. We should even relate to them our own harsh experiences on the road so they can learn from our mistakes and encourage them to make better decisions. This subject is something to take seriously, and if local governments and families do their part, we can all make a difference to save many lives, including those of our loved ones.