How to Save a Life

How
can I save a life? by Deshawn Williams

The
number of deaths on US highways is uncomfortably in the tens of
thousands of people per year. More people are dying on US highways
than in war. When I first started driving, I never knew this
statistic. Had I known that I wouldn’t have skipped a couple of
Drivers Ed classes. Drivers ed is an important institution
put in place to reduce the number of accidents cause my driving.
Knowing the difference between a flashing red light and a flashing
yellow light can be the difference between life and death. An
experience I had when I was driving was when I did not know that a
bridge’s freeze over faster than regular roads. I was cruising at
about 40 miles per hour when I noticed the car in front of me
starting to slide. By the time I pressed the brakes, my car was
already sliding and I smacked the car in front of me. In the matter
of a second, I could have lost my life. I only had a couple of
bruises and some neck pain and the other person just had neck pain. I
was lucky enough not to be another number on the statistic.

When
I took drivers ed, we were allowed to miss eight courses
and still be eligible to get our license. To reduce the number of
deaths each year I think that number should decrease to 2 or 3. I
found that when I am on the road sometimes I see a sign that I have
no clue what it means. Another way to reduce the number of deaths is
to offer more incentives for safe driving, decrease speed limits, and
increase the patrol to monitor speeding.

I
have become a safer driver by telling myself to drive the speed limit
more even if I am running late somewhere. As the saying goes, “it’s
better late than never”. Another way I drive safer is by waiting
around three to four seconds after my light turns green before I go.
It is safer to do that because a lot of people test the limits of how
long the light is gonna be yellow, or even decide to run the red
light. When people get into a car, they should ask themselves how
will they save a life today by driving safe. With lives and many
dollars in damage at stake, it is best to ask yourself that question
every time you enter the driver’s seat.