Drivng 101

In
the United States of America alone, 8,200 people died in a car
accident in 2019. In our country we talk about how global warming is
going to kill us all or how the Coronavirus is going to destroy our
country, but how driving is really dangerous is hardly ever
emphasized. In reality, people falling asleep at the wheel, cell
phone usage while driving, and drunk driving are all tragedies that
cause people to die every day. This is a problem we need to fix.

Driver
education about car accidents is very important. If we were never
aware of the dangers of driving, one might think, “Hey, it is only
one beer, or it is only a text message.” What one fails to realize
is that doing these things put not only oneself at risk but others as
well. If one never knew the dangers of driving, one would not care
about learning how to drive properly. Life would be a hectic mess.
People would be swerving left and right; cars would be crashing into
each other or into a ditch. This would be a huge problem! Maybe we
need to stop and rethink what is going on around us.

Realistically,
like any other law, the fines and punishments are never going to
truly get rid of car accidents. I think educating drivers is the
key. Professional athletes who had a personal connection to someone
affected by distracted driving could put out the plea to drive
responsibly. I would suggest that once a year every driver must
watch a video warning of the dangers of distracted driving. This
mandated video would be provided by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration while monitored through the driver’s
insurance company. Each driver would have to pass a test at the end
of the video to ensure that they watched the video. After the driver
completes all of these things, hopefully they will stop and think
before they drive recklessly and therefore, drive more safely and
reducing the number of deaths.

In
my life, I have never seen a car accident happen. I haven’t even
gotten a ticket. However, when my brother was a senior, he and a
friend were headed home from school when they saw a friend walking on
the sidewalk. Like any “responsible person,” he decided to wave.
What he was not expecting was that while he was waving, a guy decided
to run across the street a couple cars ahead of him. On a normal day,
my brother would have noted this and stopped, but this was not a
normal day. CRASH! In a moment, his whole world turned upside down.
The valuable lesson which my brother learned the hard way was to
always be watching the road.

Driving
is a privilege, not a right. We should all learn about driving safely
because we want to protect our loved ones. When driving always keep
your eyes and thoughts on the road.

“Car
Accident Statistics – Auto Crash Figures & Facts.” Isaacs &
Isaacs, 1 Apr. 1969,
www.isaacsandisaacs.com/car-accident-lawyer/auto-crash-statistics.