Importance of safe driving

Getting your first car and getting your driver’s license are one of the most exciting moments in a teen’s life, but unfortunately teens are 3 times more likely to get into a car accident than adults. This can be because of many reasons inexperience, distractions, etc. One of the best ways to limit driving accidents is to educate everyone on the road.

Like many things people have to be taught how to do things, and driving is not an exception. Unlike other things, driving comes with profoundly dire consequences and can have life-changing effects on your life or someone else’s life. According to the World Health Organization approximately 1.3 million people (about the population of New Hampshire) die every year from road accidents. Many of the accidents could have been prevented and were caused by human error. Steps that can be taken to reduce deaths from car accidents are making Driving education more accessible, giving free hands-on driving classes, and making harsher penalties for drunk driving.

First of all, educating drivers is an essential part of reducing death on the road. Educating drivers can help them learn road rules and safe driving habits, helping to keep our roads safe. Taking a driving education class should be the first thing that every person should do before driving on the road.

Secondly, to reduce the number of deaths free hands-on driving classes should be given to everyone. Many accidents happen because of inexperience. Giving free hands-on driving classes people can get experience for when they hit the road for the first time. Instead of being nervous and not knowing what to do they can drive their car with confidence because they know what they are doing.

Last but not least, harsher penalties for drunk drivers should be administered. For somebody’s first offence in the state of Florida the punishment for drunk driving is $500-$1000 or no more than 6 months of imprisonment. The punishment should at least be triple what it is currently. The current punishment leaves drunk drivers with a slap on the wrist and does not stop people from reconsidering their actions. Raising the punishment will make people think twice before they decide to start driving while under the influence.

About a year ago I was involved in a car accident. It was the end of the day after a long tiresome week the kids flooded the school exits trying to leave school as fast as possible. The school buses were lined up like they usually were waiting for the kids to erase the silence of the empty bus. After searching for my bus through the crowd I finally found it. I went on and took my seat. Once the wave of people disappeared the bus started their engines preparing for the drive ahead of us. Little did we all know my bus was not going to make it to my stop.

Once the buses took off, the bus took its usual route. The bus settled down and became quiet. The bus this day had an eerie silence, it was too quiet. The bus stopped and prepared to make a left turn. Once the coast was clear the bus driver pressed on the accelerator and turned the steering wheel left. The front of the bus made it past the road, but then disaster struck. We heard a loud crash and flew from our seats. The bus stopped immediately as we all tried to assess the situation. Everyone crowded the back as they each tried to get a glimpse of what happened. Then, everyone became quiet. A man in a motorcycle hit the back of the bus and is now lying on the floor. His motorcycle was completely destroyed. People who saw what happened quickly got out of their cars and began to call 9-1-1.

A police officer soon arrived and got the names of everyone on the bus as we told him what happened. Not too long after the ambulance arrived, and we could only watch in horror as he was pronounced dead. The paramedics pulled a blanket over the body and then left. Once I got off the bus I was left in shock as I saw the back of the bus, it was completely annihilated. The principal of my school soon arrived on scene to see if everyone was okay. My mom then arrived to take me home. Not too long after I found out the driver was speeding and wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. This whole thing could have been prevented if he drove safely.

The steps that I will take to be a better and safer driver are to always pay attention while on the road, always follow the road rules, and never drive under the influence. I will also encourage my friends and family to drive safely because you never know what will happen.