Driver Education Initiative – In the Driver’s seat

There
are approximately 1.25 million deaths every year that are the results
of car accidents. That’s 3,287 people
dying daily from automobile crashes, and more than 50% of these
deaths are young adults from the age of 15 to 40. These immense
numbers are caused by so many preventable factors, such as; being
under the influence, texting, speeding, and recklessly driving. When
someone gets into the driver’s seat and does not take that
responsibility seriously, they risk causing a tragic accident.

In
2013, three teenage boys got into a dangerous accident in Moapa
Valley. The driver, only 17, drifted off the road, then overcorrected
and the vehicle rolled onto its roof. The driver’s two friends were
able to crawl out of the vehicle, but due to damage to the vehicle,
the driver remained trapped. He soon after died on the scene. This
isn’t the only misfortune in the valley
that has been caused by reckless driving. There have been countless
stories of teenage drivers recking their cars on the Mesa overlooking
the town. Multiple cars rolled due to driving to fast on the rugged
dirt road. One of my cherished friends almost rolled down the Mesa
due to his friend speeding towards the edge, entirely unaware. There
have been way too many close calls for several of my peers. All
mainly due to reckless driving of themselves and their friends. But,
there are countless more causes of accidents.

The
leading cause of car accidents is distracted driving. Distracted
driving can mean a hand full of things, starting with phones. Texting
is not more important than someone’s life, and there are multiple
ways to prevent picking up the phone while behind the wheel. The
first way is to turn it off. Or, on all new iPhones, there is a do
not disturb option. It turns on automatically when you start driving,
so you don’t have to do anything. Phones aren’t the only distraction
in the car. There are also friends, makeup, and music. So, turn the
music down, don’t let friends be a distraction, and worry more about
lives than the way your face looks.

Another
serious cause of accidents is driving under the influence. Being
under the influence of any substance can reduce someone’s reaction
time while driving! Which only leads to preventable accidents. There
are so many ways to avoid drunk driving, that It’s stupid it even
happens these days. Make a plan when going to a party; have a
designated driver, download Lyft and Uber, or stay the night. There
are no excuses for getting into the driver’s seat under the
influence.

Drunk
driving and being distracted are both leading causes of accidents,
but they aren’t the only ones. Most drivers can say that they’ve
driven over the speed limit. In 2018, driving over the speed limit
killed over 9,000 people. That’s 9,000 lives that could have been
saved by safe driving. The fix to speeding is simple. Make the
decision today to stop and think of those 9,000 people.

There
are even more ways to prevent automobile-related deaths, like wearing
seatbelts, not driving when tired, being aware, and being educated.
If all those teenagers who rolled their cars were more educated,
would they have been in that situation? Educating young drivers is an
essential step towards reducing the number of lives lost each year!
As stated before, more than 50% of car accident-related deaths are
young adults. Making driver safety classes more available to high
school and college students is a great place to start.

Taking
a driver’s safety class is something everyone should do to be a
better, safer driver. We should all practice wearing our seatbelts
and staying off our phones, and help our friends by reminding them to
drive safe. Don’t speed and never compromise lives for a text. And
most importantly, never forget the gravity of being in the driver’s
seat.