Arriving Alive

“Don’t be the driving force behind traffic accidents.” Getting in a car and taking a trip down the road can seem like such a simple, mundane task. But for many, getting in the car will be the last time they are seen alive. That is because someone else on the road was careless, and ended up costing the life of an innocent person.

Driver education, in the light of driving safety, is super important due to the fact that a simple, fixable driving mistake could cost lives; for example, making sure you look both ways and not hesitating before merging into oncoming traffic. Just taking a second to actually process what is going on and only taking action when you feel safest will save lives. Many driving instructors preach this while in the lessons – they want the student to understand that it is okay to drive comfortably and have fun while doing it, just don’t take risks. If more individuals actually took the time to learn and understand the rules of the road, less people would be lost in accidents and there would be safer driving everywhere.

Subsequently, new drivers must keep it slow and safe. We all know what it is like to finally have your license – and a shiny new car to use it in – for the first time. The adrenaline rush you feel as you excitedly take your first taste of freedom…..just to go zero to sixty within a few seconds as you take your life and possibly others into your own hands. It is very irresponsible to not properly teach young drivers that they are not invincible on the road. That overconfidence stems from not being taught properly, and it leads to frivolous – and sometimes fatal – mistakes on the road.

Above all, requiring drivers to take a longer preliminary driving course before the actual road test would be the best method of securing better drivers. Some people have been on the road for thirty years! It doesn’t really make sense that they should be subject to possibly getting into silly accidents with people who’ve only been on the road for a few months. While that seems unfair to new drivers, eventually, they won’t be new drivers anymore, and that is the end goal.

Apart from this, I have personally never experienced a car accident, but my best friend nearly lost her life earlier this year, due to the impatience and irresponsibility of another driver. She was leaving the gas station while going to work, and as she got to the light to make a right turn – which she was completely clear for – she was t-boned on the drivers side. The other driver – from the lane across – decided that they could “make it” past her, and overestimated their speed. They slammed into her going at about twenty miles-per-hour, which seems slow, but, considering she was going about two mph, was like getting hit by a truck.

Nevertheless, my best friend had to go to the hospital and subsequently lose valuable days from work for something that could’ve easily been avoided. She had just gotten her car not even two months before, so that money went down the drain as well. I say all of this to strengthen the point that driving safely not only affects you, but it affects all of the other strangers on the road as well.

Personally, the one step I can take to be a better driver is to leave earlier. I am grown enough to admit that I might be a little speedy when I am late to work. While I have not been in an accident myself, my speed could cause someone else to be in one, and that is not something I want on my conscience. I believe that I can help others to drive safely by driving safely myself. Sometimes the only way to teach is by teaching yourself, so I feel like I have to take the initiative to drive with care for others so that hopefully, they drive with care for me.

In the final analysis, I believe that it is imperative that we as a society take more time and patience with others, but most importantly ourselves, on the road. We have to make sure that we know all of the rules of the road, and that we follow them accordingly. Doing so will result in less accidents and more importantly, less roadway fatalities. By holding each other accountable while in each other’s cars and while driving beside someone, we can become a safer, more responsible driving society.