3,287 Deaths and How to Diminish Them

Kerigan
Mardis

Driver
Education Initiative

10
January 2020

3,287
Deaths and How to Diminish Them

Picture
this, an eight-wheel cement cement truck is barrelling towards you at
fifty-five miles per hour, and you are sitting still waiting to turn
left into your driveway. However, you cannot turn yet because there
is oncoming traffic. Scary scenario right? Well, that is exactly
where I was. My two siblings were in the back seat. The man driving
the truck was looking down at his phone; he was going to hit us. I
immediately began contemplating whether I should drive in the ditch,
or turn left anyway and risk hitting the car that was oncoming. I
decided to just drive straight, so that he could swerve around me,
and when he realized that I was there, that is what he did. He almost
intercepted the car that was coming from the other direction, and he
scraped the entire driver side of mine. We were okay, but about 3,287
Americans were not so lucky that day or any day for that matter.
According to www.asirt.org,
that is the number of Americans that die everyday due to automobile
accidents. Reducing this number can be done by doing several things.

The
first step to decreasing the amount of deaths due to driving is
adhering to traffic laws. If someone is following all traffic laws,
it is really hard for an accident to be their fault. When we drive
the speed limit, drive undistracted, and obey traffic signs, we
create safer driving conditions for ourselves and others. Another
step is educating drivers. Adequate drivers ed is so important;
how can someone follow traffic laws that they are unaware of? Also,
good drivers ed can go beyond just basic traffic rules. While
eating and driving tired are not against the law, they can distract
an automobile operator tremendously. Each and every driver needs to
be informed of things that can impair their driving. Additionally to
taking these steps, there are a couple of things you and I can do
while driving to decrease our risk of having an accident.

To
drive safer you should maintain your vehicle, drive defensively, and
only operate a vehicle when you are in a good state. To keep your car
in good shape, you should have regular oil-changes, tune-ups, and
tire rotations done. Also, when it comes to driving defensively, my
grandmother always told me to “pretend like every car was going to
hit me.” Be ready for someone to run a red light or pull out in
front of you. Lastly, if you are not feeling well physically or
mentally, you should not drive. Either one of those things could
hinder you from driving safely.

Thousands
of car accidents happen everyday; due to these accidents several
people lose their lives. In order to diminish the number of driving
related deaths, we need to stay educated, obey traffic laws, and take
steps necessary to keep ourselves out of situations like mine.