Getting home safely

Cars are one of the best inventions that have ever been created. They allow us to travel great distances in a shorter amount of time than the generations that have come before us. However, driving can lead to serious injury or even death sometimes. While we should enjoy driving, we need to also be cautious and careful of our own driving and others, so we do not cause someone else to become gravely injured, and so we can avoid becoming gravely injured. For this to happen, drivers need to be educated. It is very important to be an educated driver, so you will be able to adjust for various situations while driving. We may not know when we will be put in a situation where our life or someone else’s life is on the line, but the better educated we are the better prepared.

For example, when the winter storm hit Texas in February, there were many accidents on the roads. On one of the biggest highways in Texas, there was a 133-car pileup as a result of freezing rain and temperatures. This was the biggest pileup I had ever seen in my life, but I wonder if it could have been avoided if educated drivers knew how to drive on icy roads. If those who were driving that day knew how to handle a car while it is sliding, perhaps the six individuals who lost their lives that day may still be with us. While this is one instance of an extreme result of misfortune, it is an example of why driver education is vital to driving safely.

Being educated can also reduce the number of deaths that occur related to driving. By being well-informed, you can avoid certain situations where there is a good chance of getting in an accident. Another way to reduce the number of deaths that occur while driving is to increase the severity of tickets. This would be a simple example of negative reinforcement. If speeding tickets become more expensive than they already are and the punishments become more severe, then more and more people will stop speeding, simply to avoid a harsh punishment for getting caught doing so. If someone driving under the influence knows that they may only have to pay a couple of

thousand dollars then they may risk engaging in this behavior. On the other hand, if they know that they will go to jail for 6 months and must pay a heftier fine, they will think twice about getting a DUI. Another possible way to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is to raise the age required to get a driver’s license. Instead of needing to be 16, you could possibly raise the age to

18. While this may make everyday life harder for some, I believe overall it will save more lives.

We all know that younger drivers are more reckless and are very inexperienced. When you mix these two attributes, it only spells disaster!

Being a 19-year old, I know what it is like to want to drive fast and have friends who want to drive fast. Due to this, I have been in a couple of situations where an accident almost occurred. The memory that sticks out the most is when I was in the backseat, and there were 5 of us in the car. The driver had been driving fast all night and being very risky. When he entered onto the service road, he turned too fast and almost swerved onto the highway. This was a very scary moment because if he had swerved onto the highway, we could have been hit and possibly died as a result. Thankfully, we did not go onto the highway, and he got control of the car. After that happened, the driver begun to drive more carefully, mostly as a result of everyone else in the car telling him to stop driving recklessly. While everyone was safe, this is a perfect example of kids being kids and doing reckless things just for the “fun” of it. To have even avoided being in that situation, I could have spoken up. Instead of simply going along for the ride, I could have told the driver that the way he was driving was unsafe and he was putting us all in danger. From then on out, I speak up when someone is driving in a way that is hazardous and dangerous.

Speaking up is also something others can do more to make driving safer. Instead of just being silent, speak up! This could save not only your life but also someone else’s life. Another

way one can be a better and safer driver is to not speed. Instead, all of us should go the speed limit. Personally, I will make this change, because I know that it can contribute to saving a life.