Driving Safety

Driving Safety

In 2019, around 38,800 people lost their lives in car accidents, according to the National Safety Council. This statistic should make you aware of the risk you take everytime you enter a vehicle. Many of these deaths could be prevented if there was a driver’s safety test required each time a license is renewed, and if driver’s safety courses were required once every year. Car accidents can happen to anyone, they are not discriminatory. Raise awareness of the dangers of driving to prevent avoidable death. The majority of vehicular collision deaths will disappear if everyone spreads the word about driving safely.

Driver education contributes to the number of vehicle related deaths. If people took driver’s education seriously, then we would most likely have less accidents. Driver’s safety courses should be offered by the state. This continual education should include ways to prevent vehicular collisions. A large contributer to car accidents is cell phone usage. We need to stress that phones should never be used when you are driving. Do not mess with the radio when driving, have a passenger do that for you or create a playlist of songs you listen to only in the car. Another common reason for accidents is driving while you are exhausted.

I have been in one car accident, luckily the other person and I got away with no injuries. I had been driving home from practice, and all the sudden, my truck dies on the highway. I see a turnoff that I can drift over to, and I attempt to turn off there. However, I failed to look behind me and see the car that was coming. There are two reasons I stayed on the highway, I was going very slow, and two I had barely turned out of my lane. The car that hit me went in the ditch, and the plastic on the front of the car came off. The only damage to my truck is my driver’s side door was dented.

Make sure to always look at least twice before turning onto a highway and when backing out of a parking stall. Be aware of your surroundings at all times when driving. Never drive when you are tired. When traveling to a far away destination with a group, switch who is driving every few hours. Wear a seatbelt every single time you are in a moving vehicle. Check your vehicle’s tires for wear. Drive slow on ice and rainy road conditions.

In the end, driving is something that every person has to do, but we need to remain aware of how dangerous the act of driving really is. The best way to prevent a wreck is to only drive when you feel alert. An idea for spreading this information is to take a driver’s safety test when you renew your license. Anytime you decide to drive, follow all rules and regulations. Everyone can save a life, if they drive safely.