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Driver Education Initiative – Cruising for the Future

Name: Sezim Minbaeva
From: Round Rock, TX
Votes: 0

Cruising
for the Future”

By:
Sezim Minbaeva

We
were late. It was a brisk summer day in Texas, and my friend’s
mother was behind the wheel—furiously texting away an apology for
being late to a long-awaited baby shower. She was so engrossed in
her phone that she did not notice her gradual shift into the right
lane until a blaring
beep
was
heard from the car behind us. All was fine, but I definitely breathed
a sigh of relief once we arrived at the baby shower.

My
friend’s mother was one of the many who partook in distracted
driving, one of the largest contributors to vehicle crashes that took
an estimated 36,750 American lives in the year of 2018 alone. Even
with advanced safety systems in new vehicles, drivers on the road
need to acknowledge that car crashes can happen to anyone, with the
need for drivers ed at an all-time high.

An
easy way to ensure that you are taking preventative measures and
being a safe driver on the word is by using the acronym “
CRUISE
the next time you or your loved ones are behind the wheel.

CLEAR
MIND.

Anything
that can shift one’s attention from the most important task at
hand, driving, can be dangerous. We
commonly
hear about drinking, drugs, and texting, but even being drowsy behind
the wheel can cause fatal
accidents.
Take a few moments to breathe and concentrate on your surroundings;
do not be one of the
10.8%
involved in car crashes due to insufficient sleep.

RELYING
ON OTHERS.

If
you know that you are incapable of being a safe driver at the moment,
it is better to call a friend or taxi to
take
you home. A friend will not mind the small inconvenience, and $30 is
a small price to pay for your
life.
If you are already behind the wheel and need to send a text or look
up directions, ask someone in the
passenger’s
seat instead.

UNDER
THE SPEED LIMIT.

This
ensures that you are able to react to the drivers around you and
prevent accidents. Newton said that
“an
object in motion tend to stay in motion” and slowing your speed
allows for your object (the car) to stop
moving,
and worst case, not have as big of an accident.

INTENTION.

Think
of your destination. Have intention. If you do not have the route
memorized, plug it into your phone
before
getting behind the wheel and sync it up with your bluetooth so that
your eyes never leave the road. If
you
like to listen to music or an audiobook set it up and make sure you
can still hear everything around you.
Apple
has a great “Do Not Disturb” feature that automatically prevents
calls or notification coming through
while
driving, and Android users can install the app “Driving Detective”
for the same purpose. Figure out
whichever
works best for you.

SEATBELT.

Every
year it’s estimated that 15,000 lives are saved when using a
seatbelt. While on the topic of restraint
use,
make sure that your vehicle has passed all inspections for road
safety and is ready for the future. If you
think
your tires need replacing, check them out. Running low on gas? Fill
it up.

EXAMPLE.

Teen
drivers have the highest percent chance of being in a motor accident,
nearly four times that of drivers
20
or older. This is usually due to inexperience and reckless driving,
highlighting how important it is for
those
around them to lead by example and show safe driving habits. However,
this is not just for teens but
for
all drivers, be someone to look up to!

While
driving can be relaxing and a convenient mode of transportation, it
is also the driver’s responsibility to be aware of their
surroundings and the people around them. Make sure to use “
CRUISE
next time you cruise, and tell the people in your life about it too!

Sources

Distracted
driving. (2019, May). Retrieved November 29, 2019, from Insurance
Institute for Highway


Safety
website: https://www.iihs.org/topics/distracted-driving

McDaniel,
J. (2019, April 26). Driven to distraction? Here’s how to stay off
your phone in the car.

Philadelphia
Inquirer
.
Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/


do-not-disturb-driving-distracted-texting-phone-20190426.html

National
Center for Statistics and Analysis (2017, October). Lives

saved
in 2016 by restraint use and minimum-drinking-age laws (Traffic

Safety
Facts Crash•Stats. Report No. DOT HS 812 454).Washing

ton,
DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

National
Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2019, May) Speeding:

2017
data (Traffic Safety Facts. DOT HS 812 687). Washington, DC:

National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Teenagers.
(2019, May). Retrieved November 29, 2019, from Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety

website:
https://www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers