Driver Safety in the Modern Day

Driver
Safety in the Modern Day

By
Anna Morse

Safe
driving practices are one of the most underrated things in modern
society. People must be safe while behind the wheel, not only for
their safety but for everybody on the road.

Driver’s
education is one of the most important classes a person will take in
their lives. Not only does it teach you how to drive, but it also
highlights driver safety and driver responsibility. Seeing as most
people take this class when they’re in high school, they’re able
to absorb this new information with excitement and eagerness. The act
of stressing driver safety and road responsibility reduces the number
of driving-related deaths by providing proper education and real-life
examples of the consequences of reckless driving.

Strict
laws and advanced precautions can be taken to reduce driving-related
deaths. By having harsh penalties for running red lights, driving
under the influence, and reckless driving, more people will steer
clear of unsafe driving practices. An early introduction to safe
driving, such as while in middle school, will also provide more time
for the students to fully recognize the importance of safe driving.

Although
I have never been in a car accident, my best friend was. She was
walking across the street when she was hit by a car driving 45 miles
per hour. It was a scary experience for everybody, especially her.
She had broken both legs, her collar bone, her arm, and was lucky to
be alive. The driver was distracted while driving, but it’s unknown
if it was a cell phone, a radio, or something else. This started a
movement throughout my friends and family to commit to not using
phones while driving (this was before the law-making texting and
driving illegal).

It’s
important to go the speed limit when driving, even if there’s
nobody on the road, or it’s just a couple miles over. Obeying all
traffic laws and traffic signs is another thing that’s important to
do while behind the wheel. Stop signs, yield signs, and no right on
red signs are easily ignored or not taken as seriously as they
should. You must stop completely, yield to oncoming traffic, and wait
until it’s safe to turn. By educating people about driver safety
and practice it yourself, your actions and words will begin to rub
off on other people. Although unfortunately, not everybody will
practice safe driving, if the majority of people do, the world will
become a significant amount safer.

I
am a firm believer that drivers ed is a necessary course and
drastically helps teenagers learn to drive responsibly. However, we
shouldn’t start at drivers ed. Parents should lead by
example and teach their children about safe driving as soon as
possible. Hopefully one day soon, driving-related accidents will
decrease and driver safety and responsibility will be at an all-time
high.