Drive Smart Not Fast

Drive
Smart Not Fast

Driving
is a freedom that I am so grateful to have. Going on road trips has
led to some of the best memories I have, from driving down the coast
of Washington and Oregon to getting to watch the rolling hills of
Eastern Washington pass by. However, there is an inherent danger with
driving, thousands of driving-related deaths occur each year and by
driving you risk becoming one of those deaths. Luckily, before being
given a driver’s license most people go through drivers ed
where you learn the rules of the road along with the danger you face
by driving dangerously.

One
step that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths is having to
take a short quiz or test when renewing your driver’s license. Most
people drive for most of their lives and over that time many people
are going to forget some rules of driving or need to be reminded of
the dangers they may face. By having people do a short quiz/test it
may help to reduce the number of driver-related deaths. Also, by
continuing to improve safety and increase the use of preventative
technology, such as proximity sensors, we will see a decline in the
number of deaths.

Personally
I have been lucky enough not to have been in a car accident before
and all the friends that have driven me places are good drivers.
However, I recognize that some people are bad drivers and even if
they haven’t been in an accident before most likely will. One
example of this is while driving I have seen people talking or
texting on their phones in other cars which puts not only them at
risk, but other people as well because of their distracted driving.
Additionally, on the freeway, it is very common that people speed by
me at well above the speed limit and they risk multiplying the
severity of an accident should they get in one

One
of the best things that can be taken to become a better driver is to
think about how getting in a crash could change your life and what it
could do to the lives of other people. In my experience, I find that
thinking about how my actions could impact other people has much more
of an effect on me than simply thinking about how my actions will
impact my own life. If I got in a crash that was my fault and lead to
the death of someone I would feel guilt for the rest of my life
thinking about what my actions did to someone else. This keeps me
from driving dangerously and I stay more alert while driving because
of this.