In certain areas of America, the only way to effectively go anywhere is to drive. Whether you're trying to visit far family members, go to another state for vacation, go to a doctor that is way out of the way (You're too stubborn to look for one that's under your insurance), or even just driving to buy some groceries or go to a park, no matter what when driving you will always take a risk of being in an accident. Now these examples do not represent or give anything close to a war. I will answer the following questions: So, what war is in America? What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road? It's important for rules to evolve to fit new distractions that may be causing these accidents. I also feel reaching out to younger generations for help on problems that are evolving with the newer generations.
What war is America in? According to IIHS in the year 2022 a total of 42,514 people has died in it and this war has cost 340 billion dollars which is almost 1,000 dollars per person in the United States. IIHS states “From 1975 to 2022, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people declined by 79% for people 12 and younger (from 7.9 to 1.7), 68% for teenagers (from 29.4 to 9.5), 39% for people ages 20-34 (from 29.6 to 18.0), 18% for people ages 35-69 (from 17.5 to 14.3), and 45% for people 70 and older (from 25.9 to 11.5).” You're probably asking what insane war could this be? There are so many young people and old people dying in it. The answer is the motor vehicle problem in the United States. According to iihs “Sixty-one percent of crash fatalities in 2022 were passenger vehicle occupants, 18% were pedestrians, 15% were motorcyclists, 3% were bicyclists, and 2% were occupants of large trucks.” This chart shows how many innocent people are dying in this war. 61% of people that were undoubtably innocent passengers whose lives were in the hands of the drivers taken either to a distracted driver, an intoxicated driver, an irresponsible driver, a dumb driver, an elderly driver, and even possibly medical problematic scenarios. No matter the scenario there needs to be a fix. According to IIHS “From 1975 to 2022, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people declined by 79% for people 12 and younger (from 7.9 to 1.7), 68% for teenagers (from 29.4 to 9.5), 39% for people ages 20-34 (from 29.6 to 18.0), 18% for people ages 35-69 (from 17.5 to 14.3), and 45% for people 70 and older (from 25.9 to 11.5).” This is amazing and fantastic news. It means we are at a start to overcome this war. There is still a ton of progress that needs to be made.
What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving? Driver education is the #1 important factor in being a safe driver. It all starts in the beginning of driving that can build or break how safe, intelligent, respectful, and patient a driver you are. Personally, I was very fortunate and was taught how to drive by my family. This consisted of my mom's heart attacks when I gunned it a little too hard, my dad's back seat driving and stressful screams, and my grandpa’s enjoyment of being with me. They all stressed the importance of safe driving and ensured I always obeyed the laws. This was a super strong foundation for me to figure out how I drive safest, am distraction free, follow the laws, and safely make it from destination A to destination B. IIHS states “According to a national daytime observational survey of motorists, seat belt use among front seat occupants was 91.6% in 2022 (Boyle, 2023). Unrestrained vehicle occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured in a crash, so belt use is much lower among fatally injured occupants. Among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants age 13 and older in 2022, 45% of drivers and 42% of passengers were belted.” This is a great statistic showing that commercials, advertisements, and warnings save so many people's lives to do something as simple as wearing a seatbelt. Our goal as a society should be to increase that from 91.6% to 100%. Knowing that a strong foundation helps become a safe driver we should do things like bringing drivers education back to our schools as elective classes. This would help ensure that everyone has access to a strong foundation. Everyone needs to be educated to fix these issues in this war.
What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? I believe I am a perfect candidate for this question due to my experiences and my current job. I work in a job that has a same day delivery service with a 15-mile delivery radius. I am constantly on the road every day. Most days I drive for a solid 6+ hours making deliveries to people’s houses. Out of the solid year of working for this company I have yet to have a day that I did not see anyone texting while driving. I have been swerved into, run off the road, and almost hit by these people. They are entitled people who have no respect for their life, their passenger lives, the other cars near them, and my life. According to NHTS “Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,308 lives in 2022. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. Get the facts, get involved, and help us keep America’s roads safe.” I think as a society we should start a campaign that gets broadcasted on TV, billboards, buses, phones, phone cases, social media, the radio, and more broadcasting tragic true stories of people's losses due to texting and driving. Have people with their stories come foward to save more people. We are all in this together. As much as I wish there was no traffic, we all share the roads together and we should have enough empathy to the person next to us to get off TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, and any phone use at all. The key step is to try to get enough traction to gain sponsorship help and make sure people can hear other stories on how their lives change. There are also a lot of bad senior drivers. I believe we need a redo driver exam in our 30’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s to ensure that you are mentally capable of driving safely.
Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? Back in 2009 on my 6th birthday I had finally been promoted to using a booster seat that very day on my way to school we were rearended by a man having a seizure at the wheel. Luckily my mom and I were fine, and he ended up all right as well. Now for my friends and family I can’t say they were as lucky. In 2020 my girlfriend was riding shotgun with her ex-boyfriend who decided to drive 90 mph in a 40 and ended up wrapping around a tree shattering my girlfriend's leg. My girlfriend also works for the same company as I do, and she ended up getting T-boned while in the delivery vehicle due to a guy in his 20’s texting and driving and missing a stop sign. Luckily, she is safe and has nothing but a little headache. I have lost a couple of family members to driving accidents as well. Most recently one of my dad’s cousin's son was driving on a highway going 80 without a seatbelt. He got cut off from someone texting and driving and to avoid them he had swerved onto the shoulder where he hit a pulled over semi killing him and his girlfriend who was expecting a child.
What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road? I personally always wear a seatbelt, never text, use android auto, stay focused, stay aware of my surroundings, make a responsible choice if I feel unsure about driving, and respect others on the road. I stress all of this with myself, others I ride with, and whoever it may concern.
This war may never end due to the need for vehicles, but we can try to save, warn, and prepare people to be good, respectful, caring, focused drivers. I answered what war is in America? What is the importance of driver education in reducing the number deaths as a result of driving? What steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? Have you ever had an experience of being in car accident or have seen your friends or family members driving irresponsibly? What steps can you take to be a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer on the road? Hopefully, I have helped this situation even if it was a small amount. Thank you.