How Information Makes Safer Drivers

I
believe that people can’t behave differently than they believe. In
order to change people’s beliefs, we introduce them to information.
In order to convince people to drive safer, we must convince them
that it is important. To do that, we must educate them, using
statistics as well as other people’s stories. When confronted with
the sobering reality of auto accidents as well as the gravity of
their actions, drivers will be much more likely to act responsibly.

The
most effective way to create a culture of safety is through the
sharing of information. Public ad campaigns via social media, radio
and television commercials, PSAs, and billboards will be most
effective to expose the public to the numbers. In 2018, 37,991
Americans died as a result of a car accident. It was the number 1
cause of accidental death in children and the number 2 cause of
accidental death amongst all age groups. It is estimated that 9
people are killed and 1000 injured every day in car accidents.

While
these numbers are scary and effective in getting people to be safe,
they become even more so when they are personal. For example, I used
to not always wear my seatbelt. It just wasn’t something I thought
about until a friend of mine, MaKenzie Farley, died in a car accident
in 2018. When she passed away, I was very sad, of course, but I also
realized how crucial driver safety is. I began wearing my seatbelt
more often and driving more carefully, and so did a lot of my
friends. By no means am I a perfect driver- I tend to drive a little
too fast and get distracted- but remembering MaKenzie encourages me
to drive safe. It is these kinds of experiences that make the data
real and cause people to act. It changes your belief, which changes
your action, which will save many, many lives.

So,
in these ad campaigns, the pairing of statistics with real people’s
experiences, combined with good marketing techniques, would greatly
increase driver safety and decrease the number of deaths and
injuries. One thing that comes to mind is the effectiveness of
celebrities in PSAs. Because celebrities have a large fanbase and a
lot of influence, people will listen to them. If we could get
mainstream celebrities to use their platform and fanbase to
communicate this message, it would be fantastic. For example, if
comedian Kevin Hart filmed an ad where he mentions some data and
speaks about the car accident he had recently, it would greatly
encourage the public to take action by driving safer.

In
conclusion, we must educate the public on the reality of car
accidents. We can do this by using ad campaigns that combine the
statistics and the real life stories of those affected by unsafe
driving to make the numbers real, and in effect, make the numbers
smaller.