Name: Grace McKenna Vespa
From: Springfield, IL
Votes: 0
Every
time you get in a car, your life is at risk, as well as everyone else
in your car and everyone else on the road at the same time. Every
time you make it to your destination safe, you save at least one life
by not having crashed for any variety of reasons. Drivers
education is not only important for teaching students the rules of
the road. It is also the crucial place where students learn the
importance of safe driving. They learn that not only can they hurt
themselves by not being safe but also the other passengers in their
car and or people in other cars. On average, there are 3,287 deaths
from car accidents a day. That equals 1.25 million people a year. You
may think oh that will never happen to me, but the chances are high.
In drivers ed, learning all the safety measures to follow before
getting a license can increase your chances of walking away alive
from an accident.
Citizens
following the law is the main way to reduce the outrageous amount of
fatalities caused by vehicles. Other ideas to decrease the number of
deaths is reducing the drinking limit from .08 to .00. This would
eliminate any gray areas in people deciding whether they have drank
little enough to drive. Texting and driving, or distracted driving in
general needs to be resolved somehow. The fines on these should be
higher so that people do not challenge the law as much. Another idea
would be every couple years or so everyone is required to pass a
driver’s test rather than only on check dates. Extending even
further than that, people go through a safe driving course touching
on the topics that caused the most deaths in recent years.
Fortunately
for me, the only car accidents I have ever been in are small fender
benders where no one got hurt. I have witnessed many people around me
either drive irresponsibly and or be in more serious accidents.
Luckily, no one close to me has ever passed away due to an accident.
I feel very blessed that while the number of fatalities caused by car
accidents is high, it has never hit too close to home for me.
Steps
I can take to become a more responsible driver is to continue not
slacking and letting others slack. I make sure that whenever I am in
a car everyone else is wearing a seatbelt. When I see someone on
their phone I ask if instead I can take their phone and call, text,
change the music etc. for them. When driving I pay diligent attention
to all traffic signs and signals and just try to be as responsible as
I can be. Of course, accidents happen, but the more responsible
individuals are, the fewer and less fatal accidents can be come.
Remember, every time you drive safe, you safe lives, including your
own.
