The Importance of Defensive Driving and the Downfall of Distracted Driving

We
must start from the foundation to reduce the number of motor vehicle
deaths as we have to begin with the importance of drivers ed.
What future young drivers learn the most from are these online
driving courses, so we must instill in them what they need to know to
drive safely in the future.

More
specifically, there needs to be an increased emphasis on defensive
driving as young drivers will encounter a large variety of situations
where calm and calculated decisive actions could be the difference
between life or death. However, the most important step that needs to
be taken is a constant awareness of the dangers of distracted driving
as there are too many deaths that could’ve been avoided if drivers
had their full attention on the road and not on their devices or
engaging in other activities.

I’ve
seen this situation first hand as I’ve witnessed two accidents so
far in my life. The first being in a parking lot where our car was
idle, waiting for someone to pull out of a space as the car next to
us began reversing and never saw us until he hit us, as it could’ve
all been avoided if he even glanced at his rearview mirror.

The
second accident was at an intersection as our light has just turned
green as we went forward. However, the car perpendicular to us in the
intersection crossed the red line and, as a result, hit us on our
side. Interestingly enough, she was a young driver who was distracted
by being on her phone.

These
two experiences, although initially bad, has become something of a
learning experience for me of the importance of driving safely and
undistracted as the best steps that I could take to help others drive
safely is by word of mouth. Whenever I ride with my friends and if I
ever see them distracted by using their phone or adjusting the radio
station, I politely redirect their attention back to the road as
using all five senses are essential for guaranteed safe driving.
Then, as a result, my friends go on to correct their friends and
awareness increases exponentially through one voice as lives could be
potentially saved.