Big Effects Come In Small Packages

Big
Effects Come In Small Packages

Dalu
Okoli

They say big things come in small packages and the same can be said
about the many events one can encounter behind a steering wheel.
Although I have never been in a car accident myself, I can vividly
recall many close encounters I have had with death by the wheel. The
most notable example is from the night of my cousin’s wedding.
Driving on the freeway towards the wedding hall with my brother in
the passenger seat and my mother in the back, we were singing along
to the CD of our favorite Nigerian hip-hop artiste when all of a
sudden I noticed the car next to me getting into my lane. There was
not enough room and they were going to run right into us. I swerved
to the left and honked my horn scared as one who had just seen the
ghost of his dead grandfather that I would, in turn, hit someone in
the next lane over. The car got back into his lane and sped off, and
we were extremely thankful to God nobody got hurt. I had been
exponentially careful and cautious while driving ever since then.

Over 1 million people lose their lives every year in the United
States due to car accidents and a significant share of those deaths
are teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18. Drivers ed is
critical for decreasing these deaths and everyone must be required to
participate in it before being allowed to receive a license. Driver’s
education is very important for informing drivers on not only the
rules of the road but how to be safe when plying their vehicles on
them. We can do a plethora of things to reduce the number of people
who lose their lives on our roads such as enforcing strict laws
against texting and driving, giving expensive tickets to drivers who
are not on seat belts and our governments making sure that all
motorists go on the speed limit. The Seat belt Safety statistics of
the state of Maryland states that seat belts reduce the chances of
car crash deaths by 45% and 60% in light trucks. People often ignore
seat belts or overlook their importance, thinking it slows them down
but one thing that our traffic enforcers can do would be to write
every driver without a seat belt a ticket of $5,000, driving over the
speed limit a ticket of $10,000 and for both offenses, $15,000.

We also need to use the “do not disturb while driving” features
on our phones as they are there to save lives. If you have someone
texting you while you drive, you should have Siri reply with “Can’t
talk, I’m driving” so that they will know. I have heard stories
of people dancing with the devil by streaming video online while
driving….no really! People really have to minimize the operation of
their phones while on the road so that they will not lose their lives
in an accident, hence the suggestion of hard tickets for people who
break these laws.

As the title suggests, big effects come in small packages and this
applies when driving on the highway or freeway. Educating our fellow
citizens on safe driving matters a great deal. When speeding, using a
cell phone, not paying attention to the road signs, not wearing seat
belts and going over the speed limit are all very wrong and will cost
you your life. Do not wait until an accident happens before you can
take your safety seriously, you’ll be sorry if you do. If only we
can take these small steps when we are on the road, it can make a
really big difference.