Driving as a Social Responsibility

Driving as a Social Responsibility

Ishika Saxena

Having broken both my hands in a road accident, I have come to realize the importance of seemingly trivial details that need due attention while driving. I had gone out with my parents to run errands on the day of the accident. My mother does not usually drive and was not planning to drive that day either. My father needed to go to a bank and could not find a parking spot. My mother sat on the driver’s seat while we waited for him in the car. While waiting, she noticed a spot free up. In her hurry to reach the spot and given the short distance, she forgot to adjust the seat according to her comfort. A slight misjudgement of space caused her to step on the accelerator instead of the brake when we moved into the parking spot. The car jumped onto a nearby flowerbed. She completely lost control of the car and we smashed into a lighting pole before finally coming to a halt. The car was badly damaged and we were severely injured. The accident was a result of a slight oversight on the part of the driver.

Drivers ed and awareness must be present at all points in time. It is an ongoing process and not one that is necessary only to acquire a license. My experience of the accident showed that it is extremely important for all drivers to exercise due caution every time they get behind the wheel. The rules for safe driving such as adjusting the seat to one’s comfort, ensuring that the rear-view and side mirrors are adjusted to give an optimum view of the road must be practiced without fail. Something as simple as wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 47% (Edgar Snyder & Associates, 2017). Wearing a seatbelt could have prevented me from ending up with two broken hands and seven stitches near my eye.

Most accidents occur due to reckless driving and non-adherence to road rules. Negligence on the road may lead to somebody else being injured. A driver must not only pass the test and follow the rules but must also take up the personal responsibility of driving and make a conscious effort to be safe and keep others safe. Every driver must understand their role in the collective safety of the road, and only such an awareness will help combat common reckless behaviors, such as speeding on a highway or driving when one is ‘not that drunk’. Nearly 5-35% of all road accidents are due to drunk driving (WHO, 2018) and speeding was a factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities in 2018 (National Safety Council, 2020). It is especially important for drivers to understand that they are not responsible only for themselves and the passengers in their car, but also for the others on the road.

I strongly believe that a strict assessment of drivers is necessary before the license is issued. Moreover, drivers ed must remain an ongoing process.

References:

https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/defective-products/seat-belts/seat-belts-statistics.html

https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/GSRRS2018_Summary_EN.pdf

https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safety-issues/speeding/