Take Precautions, Save Lives.

Knock. Knock. Knock. I wake up to the sound of knocking on the door at 3 a.m. Confused, my mom and I quickly run down the stairs to see who or what is knocking at the door. To our surprise, a police officer is standing on porch. Addressing my mom, the man says, “Ma’am, your son has been involved in an accident.” Those words that left the officer’s mouth began to shake my body. Is my brother okay? What happened to him? My mom tells me to go back to my room so she can figure things out. Later that day, I had found out my brother was involved in a reckless car accident which left him with a broken hand and a totaled vehicle. This news left me infuriated, as it was not the first time he had been in a self inflicted car accident. The anger and sadness I felt that day shaped me into a more cautious driver and someone who advocates for safe driving.

Accidents happen, right? For some, yes. But for other people, like my brother, accidents can be prevented. However, there are many rules of the road that young drivers are not aware of. This is why drivers education is so important. I will admit, before I started studying for my driver’s permit, the material I was looking at was mostly new to me. Everyone knows to wear a seatbelt and not text and drive, but what about the more technical rules, such as merging onto a highway or safely driving in bad weather? After taking a driver’s education course online, I felt more confident in my knowledge on the road and I have reflected on that knowledge many times while driving. I may have prevented my own accidents from material I learned in my course. For example, not slamming on my breaks when I hit ice, or knowing when to yield to opposing traffic. I strongly believe that everyone can benefit from taking a driver’s education course, even my dad who has been a truck driver for over 15 years! (Although he may disagree).

After learning the rules of the road, many personal steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Some are obvious which were mentioned before, like wearing a seatbelt. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. This is proof that wearing a seatbelt can easily prevent deaths in an accident. Another step that can be taken is either turning your phone on silent or leaving it out of reach while driving. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year, and that 21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones. These numbers can be easily prevented by simply putting your phone out of sight and out of reach while driving. I have been tempted many times to use my phone to switch music or text back a friend while I drive, so now I put my phone in the backseat of my care while I drive to prevent getting distracting and causing an accident. Continuing, it is no secret that many teens and adults can be careless when it comes to finding a ride home if they have been drinking or using other mind-altering drugs. Designating someone to stay sober and drive home or locking away car keys at the begging of the night are two major precautions that should be taken to lower the number of deaths related to driving.

If my brother would have taken these steps, he would not have totaled his vehicle twice and ended up injured. Hearing and seeing the numbers is one thing, but to be personally affected by reckless driving opened my eyes to how important it is to be a safe driver. Because of my brother’s accident, I volunteered to take a trip to our elementary school to advocate traffic safety for the younger children. This involved preforming a skit for second graders about being a good passenger, playing games about wearing seatbelts, and listening to their stories about how they made good decisions on being safe in the car. Another way I am spreading awareness is by completing a project based on traffic safety for FCCLA (an organization that stands for Family Career and Community Leaders of America). My friends and I have been in contact with a safety press officer in the PA Department of Transportation. We plan on having a lawyer come into our school and give a presentation on the legal aspects of getting a DUI, and presenting a mock car crash for the freshman and sophomores who plan on getting their licenses soon. Educating the younger generation about being safe in vehicles will shape them into being more responsible drivers and help them become safer on the 

Works Cited

“Seat Belts.” NHTSA, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts. Accessed 5 Mar. 2022.