Fragile Humans and Responsible Driving

Fragile Humans and Responsible Driving

On the news, reporters often go on to the scene of recent car accidents. A viewer watching at home sees images of the accident’s aftermath that capture the scene of a completely wrecked vehicle and ambulances stationed by for the victims. Reports come out revealing that an accident came to be as a result of drunk driving or a driver being on the phone. Due to FCC guidelines, television news stations will not broadcast how the victims look after such an accident. However, viewers can infer that the condition of the victim is horrific. Viewers can also infer that the damage caused by certain accidents could have been prevented with a greater knowledge of how to drive responsibly.

Responsible driving needs to be stressed as much as possible to every driver no matter what age or no matter how experienced one may be at operating a car. According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, over 100 people per day in the United States die from motor vehicle accidents. Furthermore, the CDC reported in 2017 that “motor vehicle crashes involving 17- and 18-year old drivers increased” between 2014 and 2015. The role of drivers ed still remains essential by the fact that accidents remain prevalent in recent times. This education would be able to inform one of the potential accidents that can result from negligent driving and reinforce that dangers exist as a result of certain actions being done while driving (like drunk driving or texting on a cellphone). Today’s education must instill a sense of responsibility within a driver. The problem is how one should expect to reinforce the importance of responsible driving.

In order to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, one must learn to think outside the box of what is already being taught. High schools should still prioritize teaching the youth about dangers associated with negligent driving. Sometimes, though, it may be necessary to present the reality of actual situations involving irresponsible driving. Every person only possesses one life, and particular choices can easily take that life away. Young people may not realize how precious their right to life is. For this reason, it might be necessary to expose them to what actually happens to victims of negligent driving. News reports refrain from depicting the victims of car accidents, but adults are capable of showing images and videos that capture what a car accident can do to a victim’s body. Furthermore, it may be essential to pull up the detrimental effect that car crashes can have on victims’ family and friends. After all this is shown to the high school youth, the next step would be to expose them of the actual consequences that exist after a car accident is committed including the fines, guilt, and even jail time.

Drivers tend to think that their actions cannot result in such a massive accident. One may think, for instance, that texting is okay when the car completely stops at a red light or that going over the speed limit is perfectly fine since no other cars are around. Drivers must realize that their thinking can easily lead to unfortunate situations. To fix this, laws should continually be enforced in order to prevent such actions from occurring.

Right now, people are committing themselves to having good driving habits. In order to have drivers put down their phone while in operation of a vehicle, it would be good to provide them with an incentive that causes them to do this. One phone application, called Pocket Points, allows users to gather up points if they can avoid using their phone for the duration of the ride. These points can later be used in exchange for discounts, such as using them to order a free chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A. Still, drivers must make sure to be fully aware of the laws that exist to prevent negligent driving. This includes laws that prevent drunk driving or laws that prevent texting and driving. In the case that someone may be impaired to drive, it would best for a friend or colleague to be called in order to avoid certain dangers. In the end, driving allows humans to get from one place to the next very efficiently. However, one cannot ignore the responsibilities that come with possessing such a privilege.