While driving may seem fun due to the presence of movies such as Fast and Furious and racing video games, driving is no joke. Many people lose family members and friends to car accidents every year. Since the advancements of the auto industry, cars have become the leading cause of death in America today. The worst part is car accidents are easily preventable. If drivers were more focused on what was going on on the road around them instead of their phones or passengers, there would be less accidents. While you can’t prevent all accidents and force others to be safe drivers, you can improve the safety on the road.
The first step you can take in order to be a safer driver is making sure that you are properly educated of the rules of the road and what all the signs or precautions mean. This means that you are keeping up to date with new driving laws that are implemented and making sure that you are up to date on all the paperwork concerning your drivers license and your car. The importance of being an educated driver in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving is that if someone understands and respects the laws and rules of the road, they will be driving safely, which would lead to a reduction in the number of deaths due to auto accidents. Distracted driving is one of the most common ways that accidents occur. To prevent distracted driving make sure your phone is secured and put away and that the passengers in your car are taken care of. This means that you make sure that your children are taken care of and will not become a distraction while you are driving. If your child needs someone immediately while driving, make sure to pull over to the side of the road or park somewhere instead of trying to attend to your child while driving or stopped at a red light. These are some of the things that you could personally do to prevent driving accidents.
The legal steps that could be done to prevent driving accidents would be to monitor young drivers in classes to see if they are fit for driving on the road and requiring people who were caught driving under the influence to prove they are clean before they are allowed to have their license back. In order to monitor young drivers, the young drivers would have to do more coursework on the road to see if they are fit to drive. Some of the things that road teachers should be looking for are inattentiveness and distractible behaviors. For people caught driving under the influence, they would either need to go to a rehab facility or be able to provide negative tests for at least three months in order to receive a driver's license.
I have never been in a car accident myself but when I was around ten years old my mom got into a crash. The crash still impacts her to this day. The injuries that she received still make it hard for her to sit for long periods of time and some furniture is too uncomfortable for her to sit on. She can’t participate in some activities because it causes her too much pain. The only time that I have seen a friend or family member driving irresponsibly is speeding. Sometimes I notice people cutting it close with a light.
The steps that I can take to be a better and safer driver are: making sure I am paying attention to the road and not becoming distracted, leaving with plenty of time to spare so I am not in a rush, and setting a good example for others through my driving habits when I am driving with them in the car. In order to make sure that all my focus will be on driving I can make sure my phone is in a place where it will not become a distraction and that if I am using a program like google maps, that it is connected to my car so I can easily see where I need to go. Another thing I can do to prevent distraction is when I am driving with friends I can ask them to wait to have a conversation with me until we have reached our destination or if they aren’t willing to do that, simply not participate in the conversation. In order to prevent speeding, I will leave at least ten minutes early when I know that I need to be somewhere by a certain time. If I know there is going to be traffic or there is an accident I will leave even earlier to prevent the need for speeding. In order to set a good example for others I will make sure that I am following all the laws when they are in the car while I am driving and I will make sure to use good driving habits such as limiting distractions. I could also give others advice and tips on how to be better and safer drivers.
Driving may seem fun and for some people it is a necessity, it is also very dangerous when not done correctly or in a safe manner. Hundreds of people die while on the road per year. This makes them one of the largest causes of death in the US today. Car accidents are preventable. If everyone uses safe driving habits and pays attention to the road while they are driving, these deaths could be prevented. While not everyone may be willing to follow driving rules, one step you can take to making the road a safer place is making sure that you are.