What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as others be safer on the road?

In the summer of 2019, four girls’ lives were lost due to a deadly crash in Gretna, Nebraska. Five girls were driving home from a party after a night of underage drinking, and the driver lost control of the car on a sharp turn. The car went over the side railing and rolled over a couple of times into the ditch. Shortly after, the car lit on fire. The only survivor was in the intensive care unit for weeks on end, and left with extensive burns located on multiple parts of her body. Young adults in our society are able to be positive influences on one another by making good decisions. It’s important to think through our actions because it could differ between life or death in certain situations.

To go into, I am able to lead by example by avoiding any and all distractions while I drive. Driving distracted is considered to be just as deadly as drinking and driving. The biggest distraction in a vehicle is a cell phone. It’s so tempting to want to pick up the phone everytime the notification chime goes off, but it is also just as easy to turn on the “Do Not Disturb’ function every time you open the car door. I choose to set my phone face down away from me every time I put my key in the ignition. Personally, this allows me to limit the urge of wanting to pick it up and use it. I’ve found that even though my friends aren’t actually sending a text while they are driving, they’re looking at multiple different platforms, specifically Spotify and Snapchat on the road. When with other people I always insist they hand the phone over so I’m able to queue a song or send a snapchat for them.

In addition to avoiding self distractions, the passenger is able to be a positive influence on the driver even if they may not be the one operating the car. I mentioned earlier that when in a car I try to encourage my friends to give me their phone so I am able to do things for them. For me, this validates that the driver is paying attention to the road at all times. Depending on who you are with it can be uncomfortable to say how you feel, but it doesn’t take much to speak up and change an outcome. For example, I am with my friend, Sally, who likes to recklessly blare her car stereos and have her phone in hand while driving. Sally constantly is looking up and down to scroll through her Spotify playlists for a song to play after each other. The front passenger, Dylan, speaks up to Sally for her phone so he is able to do things for her. Dylan gets the phone and is able to control what they do and subtly turn down the music in the car making it safer.

With this in mind, another way to practice safe driving is by going the posted speed limit. Going over the limit is very common amongst most of my peers, and I believe that this goes hand in hand with becoming distracted. The speed limit is not an option and is intended to keep drivers safe. Drivers who are constantly neglecting the speed signs, but also other road signs in general are choosing to be selfish by putting their life in danger as well as the other peoples’ around them. I try to be good about this by always being aware of how fast I am going. Checking my speed constantly, looking for road signs, and knowing who is around me are ways I try to be a safe driver for not only myself, but also the people on the road around me.

Considering all that has been said, driving safely must become a priority. I believe that my community does a good job of making people aware of what safe driving practices look like. Nebraska residents do a good job of encouraging our peers to have great integrity and always do the right thing. Our goal as a country should be to influence others in a good way so we are able to reduce the yearly car crash fatality rate in America. Making people more aware of the responsibility it takes to operate a vehicle is just one way of taking a small step in the right direction. Speaking up for some may be uncomfortable, but it’s always the right thing to do when one is feeling that their life is at jeopardy.