Dangers of the Open Road

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Gabrielle
Wilson

Dangers
of the Open Road

More than 1.35 million people
die each year due to a road related incident. The complete lack of
drivers ed has people’s lives at risk day. The thought of
driving related deaths being more common than death by illness is
truly shocking and unnecessary. Civilians are dying from easily
avoidable situations. Although most parents constantly talk to their
children about drugs and alcohol, driver safety should also be
included. The more knowledgeable people become about their actions on
the road, the more lives we can save each day.

Around
the age of sixteen is when one is typically introduced to driver
education for the first time. To maintain a drivers permit in all
states, one must pass the permit test. Teenagers in recent years have
been using an online app and memorizing the questions and answers to
the test and passing on their first try. By doing this, they are
gaining no correct knowledge whatsoever and believe they will learn
everything they need to know once they are behind the wheel. If this
small crowd of teenagers took the time to see the importance in the
material they were neglecting, road related accidents would be
reduced significantly. This age group is not the only group
responsible for these incidents, but their laziness and disinterest
are harming many innocent lives.

Aside
from implementing a stricter learning regimen, there are simple
precautions one can take to slow the rising death toll. Simple things
such as making sure all passengers seatbelts are buckled, not
multitasking, and allotting time to get to a destination promptly are
things anyone can do to ensure the safety of themselves and their
peers. Personally, I always make sure that my friends and I are not
using our cellphones when driving, since it is a huge cause of
distractive driving crashes. Many cellular devices have apps you can
install that will put one’s phone in a certain “mode” so one is
not tempted to check while driving. It is also important that my
friends and I have a designated driver no matter where we are going.
Designated drivers typically serve the purpose of helping those under
the influence arrive to their destination safely. In our case, we
designate a driver in case of injury, illness, or if we would need to
go to the hospital.

The
effects of these accidents not only impact those involved, but also
those associated with them. Unfortunately, when I was younger, I lost
an uncle to a drunk driver related accident. If those people would
have designated a driver or waited to be picked up by someone not
under the influence, my uncle could still be with us today. My close
friend also was involved in a drunk driver accident where her and her
mother were injured badly, and her sister sadly passed away a few
days later. These types of careless actions tear apart families and
take friends away that had more time left to live. My friend and I
both feel strongly about the awareness of careless driving and lack
of knowledge. Our families are now missing pieces that some negligent
individuals stole from our puzzle.

In
closing, drivers everywhere need to take more caution when they
decide to turn the key in the ignition. Most people have the mindset
that “it will never happen to them”. These people could also be
the ones taking innocent lives. When more attention is paid to the
ways of drivers ed and being precautions, the more the driving
death toll will decrease. People need to stop believing they are the
most careful and best drivers and thinking they can get away with
anything. Remember before getting behind the wheel, lives are at
stake including your own.