Drive like you own the car, not the road

Cars:
they have long been a symbol of personal freedom and independence.
With the legal age for obtaining a driver’s license being only 16
years old, it shows how much value we place on freedom within this
great nation. However, with freedom comes responsibility and that
amount of responsibility can be too much for some drivers. Young
drivers can develop the false attitude that bad things will not
happen to them or that they are better at driving than they really
are. This attitude can lead to young drivers getting into accidents,
which can lead to severe injury or worse: death.

In
the prevention of traffic casualties, education is very important.
Teaching new drivers techniques such as defensive driving can make
the difference between a safe and unsafe driver. Even teaching simple
things like not texting while driving or always buckling in your
seatbelt, can go a long way in preventing serious injury. Educating
young drivers about the stories that people have to tell about their
loved ones who died in crashes can make those drivers think twice
before doing something that could cause harm to themselves or others.

I
was involved in a car accident when I was only two years old. My
mother was pulling out from a side street onto a busy road, and
another driver did not see her and hit her from the side. Luckily,
everyone was uninjured, but it easily could have gone differently,
for better or worse. This shows the best way we can all make the
roads safer while driving is to stay alert. Always be aware of your
surroundings, always be aware of what is ahead of and behind you, and
always be aware of any dangers that could lead to an accident. Use
defensive driving techniques such as maintaining a safe following
distance and scanning the roadway for potential hazards. These simple
actions have the ability to save your life and the lives of those
around you, so it is imperative that you use them. So, the next time
you are in a car, remember: “Don’t drive as if you own the road,
but drive as if you own the car.”