Save Lives Don’t Take Them

Save
Lives, Don’t Take Them

Teens
taking drivers ed are less likely to be involved in crashes or
to receive a traffic violation during their first two years of
driving. Because teen crashes and fatality rates are highest at ages
16-18, these reductions are especially meaningful.

Cars
are amazing machines. They provide freedom and comfortable transport,
capable of moving a family hundreds of miles with just a tank of
gasoline. But, they are also massive metal projectiles, essentially
Weapons of Mobile Destruction (WMDs) filled with flammable liquid and
often your loved ones. Keeping them safe and the ride enjoyable
should be paramount for all drivers. There are simple steps that can
be taken to reduce your risks. The key points are to obey the traffic
laws, be predictable, avoid distractions, drive rested, and steer
clear of alcohol and drugs. Do this, and you’ll help make the roads
safer for all.

I
have been in a couple car accidents while riding in the car with my
family, but I was never driving the vehicle when they happened. Sadly
I have had a couple family members die in car accidents due to drunk
driving.

I
believe it is very important to take the proper steps to assure that
people are driving safely. Every
year, drivers throughout the world are killed or injured in road
traffic. Young drivers run a greater risk everywhere, and this
problem is still largely unsolved. Better understanding of the
underlying processes could, however, be a useful tool in preventive
endeavours. To change a young driver’s goals behind driving and the
context in which it is done, a variety of different methods of
persuasion should be tested. Both “soft” and “hard” methods
should be used. For example, communication and increased enforcement
may be used simultaneously. Communication campaigns should highlight
the dangers of unsafe behaviour and in particular target young males.
Communication campaigns that employ persuasive, emotional messages
are most effective where young drivers are concerned. Research shows
that attitudes about safety are formed at an early age, long before
legal driving, and therefore it would also be important to target
young adolescents. Laws need enforcement to be effective and should
target areas of particular risk to young drivers. Drivers ed or
communication campaigns cannot be expected to radically change a
young person’s life goals. For that purpose, active learning methods
that make use of the learner’s own experiences have to be applied.
Special courses for young drivers designed to make individuals
conscious of their personal tendencies and the type of social context
that affects their driving behaviour could be helpful, whether
offered via the ordinary school system or at driving schools.