Take Control of the Wheel. Take Control of Your Life

Take Control of the Wheel. Take Control of Your Life.

More than 38,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways.” “The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 habitaints.” “Approximately 1.35 million people die in road crashes each year”. Wow. Those are some pretty staggering statistics. Now even though I have never been in an accident, it just makes you think: With stacticts with high numbers like this, what if the next person is me? Although there are a lot of ways to get into an accident such as drinking or texting while driving, or even being sleepy behind the wheel, there are also ways to slim your chances of getting into one as well. So what exactly are these steps to success?

Before you know how to slim your chances of harming yourself or someone else while driving, it’s imperative that you have basic driving education before even driving on the road. Knowing the basics of driving such as what each color light means for traffic, knowing what signs mean on the road, and knowing how most cars function is a key ingredient to knowing how to stay out of trouble. By knowing the rules and regulations of driving, you will be able to abide by them, thus causing less collisions and deaths while on the road. For example, if you see a white sign that says 45 mph, you might see what it says, but you won’t know to slow down. If you are going 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, you could potentially get yourself and someone else seriously injured. It’s knowing the little details that can play a huge role in your life.

Another step you can take to avoid disasters is if you feel like you are not in the mood to drive, DO NOT GET ON THE ROAD! For example, let’s say you’ve had way too much to drink. If you feel woozy and uncoordinated, it’s best that you order an Uber or taxi for the night instead of trying to drive yourself home. If you try to drive yourself home, you are once again putting

yourself and everyone else in danger. “Everyday, one person dies every 50 minutes” in the United States due to drunk driving. I believe that this number would not have been so staggering if these people had simply taken an Uber or some other form of transportation other than driving themselves. The phrase “Drive sober, or get pulled over” really sums up what people who are intoxicated will have happen.

All in all, there are various ways to prevent dangerous driving. Abiding by rules and regulations such as speed limits, not driving drunk, and knowing what the signs on the road mean can very much lessen the chances of anything horrid happening while on the road. Also, having a great base foundation of the different regulations of driving and knowing how a vehicle works as well can also lessen the chances of an accident happening or worse. There will always be accidents on the road, but if we are smart and do our part, we can tear those staggering statistics right apart!

Sources

• Anonymous. “Drunk Driving.” NHTSA, 19 Nov. 2020, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving.

• “Road Safety Facts.” Association for Safe International Road Travel, 13 Apr. 2020, www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/.