Prevent the Preventative

Most people in the United States have a driver’s license and use it every day to do basic tasks like going to work, school, or shopping. Though, if people drive around so often, why are the number of crashes increasing year by year? This is due to the fact that education about safe driving is not pressed in people’s minds enough. If people thought about the consequences of their actions and knew the facts behind more than the basics, I believe more people could be saved. Specifically, when someone gets into their car, they should ask themselves 3 basic questions: Am I clean of drugs, am I going to focus on driving, and do I have my seatbelt on?

Whenever I get in my car, I subconsciously follow the CFS (Clean, focused, seatbelt) rule by sitting in my car and making sure I do everything I need to do to be prepared to drive; whether it be putting on a music playlist I won’t have to change or fixing my mirrors. This is subconscious to me because my parents would talk about it all the time when I was younger. If everyone had someone to remind them all the time when they were younger, or even now if you need it, I think that would completely change the statistics.

Last summer, my sister was driving us home from Missouri and the car in front of us was on their phone and did not realize that the car in front of them had braked and she hit them. Luckily, my sister moved to the side and hit a fence with the side of her car instead, and none of us were injured (it was a smart move to have our seatbelts on). Though, an ambulance showed up and had to take the phone lady away. If that woman had been focused on driving, the whole incident could have been prevented.

Personally, an area I could improve on when I am driving is that whenever I cry because I had a bad day at work and such, I should pull over so I do not get distracted or my eyes get cloudy. I tend to just drive through it since my house is close, but writing this essay makes me realize that just because you are close does not mean anything is less likely to happen. Regarding others around me, I should tell people about my CFS idea and offer friends and family to trust me as a contact if they need one for any reason that could impair them with driving. Just helping one person be safe potentially helps others who could have been hit by an impaired driver.

In conclusion, there are many people who choose to get behind the wheel while impaired for various reasons and cause accidents that could have easily been avoided by making sure you have your seatbelt on, you are prepared to give the road your undivided attention, and you are not taking any drugs that skew your ability to drive. Also, if you are someone who drinks or does any sort of drugs that can impair your abilities, find someone to be your designated driver or have someone in your contacts you can call. It can even be an Uber!