The Car Accident Epidemic Plaguing the United States

The Car Accident Epidemic Plaguing the United States

Anyone with a license can drive a car. No extensive training is required to drive like when people operate other forms of heavy machinery. Car accidents are far more common in this country than it should be. Every person who passes was an individual who had friends, families, coworkers, and a future. Their future was cut short and all the people in their life was severely impacted. This is an extremely terrible and unfortunate circumstance that is far more common than it should be. The amount of car accidents in America is extremely high and we as a society need to do something about this epidemic plaguing our nation.

I have personal experience with the pain car accidents can cause. Last summer when I was sixteen I went with my stepmom, who I consider my maternal figure, to drop my brother off at church camp. We got there safe and said goodbye until a week later when he would come home. On our way home from dropping off my brother we were in an accident. It wasn’t too major, just some scraped paint and other internal issues from the impact but we were safe for the most part. We had some neck pain, backpain, and various other small issues. We had to do a lot of stretches to help us recover and take ibuprofen and Tylenol as needed. While this wasn’t a big accident, and no one was killed it still was very unpleasant and not a situation I would ever like to find myself in. This accident could have been avoided if the other driver shoulder checked better before switching lanes.

No one wants to be in a car accident, and no one wants to lose their lives in one either. Educating drivers is crucial for the safety of the American people. Driving can be difficult for people when they first learn and can be dangerous even after they have more knowledge about how to drive. By educating drivers on how to stay safe while driving and the consequences if they aren’t safe could make the roads safer. Educating individuals on things like DUIs, distracted driving, and reckless driving for instance and educating people on the consequences can help deter people from doing those actions and putting others in danger. For example, someone could text while driving kill a grandma driving to her grandkids house, or a single father on his way to his daughter’s ballet recital. In addition, they could injure or kill their passengers which could be family members or their friends in that same car accident. The individual driving while distracted could face fines and even jail time. If people are aware of this it could further deter individuals from doing those actions even more than usual. If we educate all drivers of their consequences it could encourage them to drive safer and decrease the number of deaths from driving.

I think multiple steps can be taken to reduce the number of driving related deaths. One step I think could be taken is increased education on the consequences of the driver’s actions if they drive irresponsibly. I think this can be done by including it in a required course individuals must take before obtaining their driver’s permit. I think this could help make driver’s aware of their consequences before they have the opportunity to make the mistakes that cause those consequences. I also think awareness of this issue could be advertised more in billboards, television adds, website adds, and adds on social media. I think by making this issue more visible in the community we can also make this more public and present in individuals’ minds when they see their peers or family members doing these actions.

Steps I can personally take to become a better driver are using handsfree devices, being responsible, and being aware of my surroundings. By using hands free devices I won’t need to worry about texting or calling while driving because I won’t be putting myself or others in danger. I can also be responsible and not drive after I’ve been drinking alcohol after I’m 21. I can call a friend who hasn’t been drinking to drive me home or my friend group can have a designated sober driver. This way when I go out and drink I won’t risk driving and put anyone in danger. I can also be a safer driver by being more aware of my surroundings. Even if I’m driving safe others might not be. By paying attention to my surroundings I can avoid accidents.

Car accidents are not an enjoyable experience and there are multiple actions we can do as individuals and as a society to prevent car accidents and deaths as a result of these accidents. To prevent car accident fatalities and car accidents in general I will use hands free devices, be responsible, and be aware of my surroundings. Individuals in our society can take similar actions to contribute to the reduction of car accidents in the country. As a society we can spread awareness of this issue and the consequences of our actions as drivers to reduce this deadly behavior. We can also spread awareness with adds where will drivers see them, on websites and apps people socialize on. By doing this we can make the behaviors that contribute to car accidents frowned upon by individuals’ family and peers to prevent them from doing them while driving. In these ways we can make the roads, and in turn our country, safer and prevent the injuries and deaths that accompany car accidents.