Cheers to Safe Driving

According to the Traffic Research Foundation, new drivers who haven’t taken any drivers ed courses have 75 percent chance of getting a speeding ticket and a 24 percent chance of being killed or injured in a car accident. That being said, proper education is critical to preventing car accidents from occuring. The importance of drivers ed in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving is knowledge. Driving education courses are geared towards teaching and creating responsible drivers in society. Topics in these courses include the proper way to parallel park, how to abide by speed limits set, how to identify the different traffic signage and how to stay focused on the road while driving. The steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving include connecting your phone to various bluetooth devices whether it be the car or bluetooth headphones, setting phone to a playlist so that you do not have to worry about what song is coming up next and not driving with music loud enough that you cannot hear other cars. One big important step includes voice texting. If needed many newer model cars have a read aloud feature that allows your text messages to be read to you and let’s you answer using your voice. Various phone companies also have a feature allowing you to silence your phone notifications while you are driving therefore keeping your focus on the road and not your phone. Although I have never been in the driver’s seat during a car accident, I have been in the passenger’s seat. It was the summer after I graduated high school, my friends and I were driving to the beach on a hot day. We reached a red light behind one other vehicle when suddenly we felt our car rear end the car in front of us. After the shock of the accident wore off we got out of the car to investigate what just happened. We were the victims of a four car accident (second car in) which was caused by a driver behind us looking down at his phone to send a text. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, just a couple cars with some needed repair. This incident opened my eyes and made me want to take control while driving. The proper steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver include finding a killer playlist to play while driving, putting my phone on do not disturb for the duration of the drive and waiting until I have reached my destination to reach for anything I need such as water or chapstick. If it is not needed at the moment it can wait. If it is needed, there is nothing wrong with finding a safe place, out of the way to pull over. While driving our lives are at risk. Although we may think that we are safe and careful drivers, we do not have control of others on the road. We must be attentive at all times. That text can wait. That phone can wait. Drive safe.