Slow Down, Save Your Life

For many of us driving is an essential part of our daily lives, it’s how we travel to work, to see loved ones, school, groceries, and much more. It is absolutely essential that we and others learn how to drive responsibly not just for self, but for others as well. Often at times we tend to forget how powerful a car can be with most vehicles’ weight one ton or equivalent to two thousand pounds. Driving education makes the difference between driving that can risk lives to saving lives; mastering to drive safe is an important step to make driving less dangerous. But there is also one important note that comes to reckless driving, which is speed. Many times, some drivers speed past the speed limit for a wide variety of reasons like being late for work or meetings, convenience of spending less time on the road, or failing to understand the safety risk of speeding on the road or highway. Speeding contributes to one third of all road accidents that are the result of drivers speeding. It is important for drivers to slow down and focus on the road to become safer drivers.

In my personal experience road rage is very real and seeing some of my family members become enraged at another driver for cutting them off is a surreal experience, it also is often dangerous. I recall one moment when my sister was driving, someone cutted her off and she yelled obscenities at the driver, but afterwards the car decided to follow us even after making several turns in a parking lot. It resulted in us trying to find a nearby police unit as we did not know who the driver was or their intentions after following us, luckily the driver following us did not pursue us any further once me and my sister approached the nearby police cars. This is another reason why drivers need to slow down and remain calm, as the more frustrated or angry a driver can become often the more reckless their driving can become. The number of drivers that have participated in road rage driving is also surprising with 3% of drivers in the United States admitting that they have hit another driver due to rage.

The solutions to make driving safer are education and patience, knowing the signs and rules of driving is important to keep a driver safe and others. Online campaigns are also effective to bring out positive change for driving like “Click it or Ticket” that makes fines for not buckling up or “Booze it and Lose it” that has fines for driving under the influence. For example, the “Click it or Ticket” campaign has contributed to raising the seat belt rate among drivers up to 92% in 2022 (Click it). A personal way that everyone can help against reckless driving is by leading from example, for example when driving with my permit I never use my phone while driving, or let my emotions get the best of me when someone cuts me off or turns when I have the right of way and stay with the speed limit. Even as a passenger it’s important to call out any behavior that can lead to reckless driving whether it be a friend going 20 miles per hour above the speed limit in the interstate or checking their phone to text while driving. It also has a long-term effect as friends and family can become better drivers over time, not only ensuring their own safety, but also others as well.

Overall driving is a daily part of our lives, knowing the rules and having the skills are essential to driving safely. I firmly believe that a minute or second saved is not worth risking your life for by speeding on a busy highway or intersection. Driving education and awareness of problems that contribute to driving fatalities like not buckling your seatbelt or driving under the influence is essential to keep new and experienced drivers safe. My most important advice in all this is to have patience when driving, whether it’s checking both sides when at a stop sign or being aware of their surroundings by checking mirrors before moving to the other lane on the interstate. Driving responsibly should not be an expectation, it should be an obligation as too many families are impacted by car crashes whether it be someone from DUI, speeding, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and fatigue. It’s also important to note that all these causes of deaths amongst drivers can change if everyone begins to drive responsibly. As a recent driver I have much to learn about being undistracted and focused on the road completely, at times I may feel impatient and start to speed a bit more, but I do realize one thing that helps me which is that a few minutes saved is not worth my own or anyone’s life. Driving can be safe for everyone via education, awareness, and most importantly patience. So, it’s important to slow down, save your life.