Reducing Driving-related Deaths: A Team Effort

Being on the road as a student driver can be intimidating, and naturally so. After all, drivers assume responsibility for the safety of their vehicle, the vehicles around them, and their passengers each time they are on the road. Unfortunately, driving can lead to tragedies. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, car crashes involving a distracted driver kill about eight people each day in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Furthermore, teenage drivers have crash rates nearly four times higher per mile driven than older drivers (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). The issue of driving-related deaths requires urgent attention, especially because many of these tragedies are preventable and are caused by poor driving practices. Reducing driving-related deaths must be a coordinated effort: proper driver education, effective government standards, and responsible personal actions can all help reduce driving-related deaths.

Firstly, driver education plays a fundamental role in reducing driving-related deaths by teaching better driver safety and ethics. Most young drivers go through some form of driver education; hence, these lessons are the first opportunity to build better driving habits. Firstly, driver education can reduce driving-related deaths by teaching drivers better safety practices. For example, my driver education course provided me with strategies to avoid distracted driving, such as playing a pre-set playlist of music instead of adjusting music while driving. Another fundamental part of driver education is learning the basic rules of the road and the meanings of road signs, which can help drivers remain calm and feel prepared while driving. An especially important part of driver education is learning proper procedures to execute in the case of an emergency. For example, drivers should learn not to swerve when trying to stop suddenly in order to stay in control of their vehicle. Safety strategies such as these help make students better drivers.

Driver education also helps prevent driving-related deaths by teaching students proper “driving ethics,” or how we should behave when we are driving. For example, in my driver education course, I learned to quickly call for emergency help and to move immediately to safety in the case of being involved in a car accident. Decisive action like this can help prevent driving-related deaths even in the case of a serious injury. In addition, many driver education courses reinforce the concept of driving not only for your safety but also for the safety of everyone around you. In this way, driver education can help drivers take proactive action to safely share the road with other vehicles and pedestrians. All of these lessons in driving ethics make driver education an invaluable strategy in reducing driving-related deaths.

While education can help reduce distracted driving and other poor driving habits, some factors that cause driving-related deaths must be addressed by other means. For example, according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT), vehicle crashes may also be caused by poor road infrastructure and management, under-enforced traffic laws, and inadequate post-crash care. All of these factors are serious concerns in the context of global driver safety. Hence, governments and other authorities must take action to address these issues. For example, governments can improve road safety by improving road management and traffic patterns, especially around areas with high accident frequencies. Other steps to reduce driving-related deaths may include enforcing driving laws more effectively on the local and state to make drivers more conscious about their choices on the road. Even spreading awareness about facts and statistics related to driving-related deaths via radio, print, or other media can help drivers make better everyday decisions. Together, these actions would significantly combat the threat of driving-related deaths.

While education and government action play an important role in increasing driver safety, perhaps the most powerful way to prevent driving-related deaths is encouraging better personal actions. While I have never been in a car accident, I have seen countless local news stories about car crashes. To make my community a safer place in which to drive, I can be alert and responsible any time I am driving. I can be more aware of my surroundings by eliminating all distractions while driving so I can focus on the road. This includes silencing my phone and other electronic devices. It also means paying attention to all road signs, indications of a potential hazard, and the behavior of other drivers and pedestrians. As a driver, I can also set clear expectations for my passengers; in this way, I can take responsibility for their safety as well. Finally, even though my family members are good driving role models, as a car passenger, I can speak up whenever I notice the person in the driver’s seat becoming distracted or exercising poor safety procedures. By taking these individual actions, I can make sure that I am doing everything in my power to make driving safer for me and everyone around me.

In conclusion, better driver education, government action, and personal commitments are essential for reducing the number of driving-related deaths that our communities experience. We must take this effort collectively, for it is our responsibility not only to keep ourselves safe on the road but also to protect those around us. For the well-being of our peers, our communities, and our future, we must all commit to taking conscious actions to reduce driving-related deaths each time we get behind the steering wheel.

Works Cited

Association for Safe International Road Travel. “Road Safety Facts.” ASIRT, 2021, www.asirt.

org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Distracted Driving.” CDC, U.S. Department of

Health & Human Services, 2 Mar. 2021, www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_

driving/index.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and Highway Loss Data Institute. “Teenagers.” IIHS

HLDI, 2021, www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers#graduated-licensing. Accessed 21 Aug.

2021.