Creating Safer Drivers

Every year there is always a new group of young drivers that hop on the endless expanse of twist and turns called roads. Some may have gone through a Driver’s Education program that teaches new drivers how to navigate in different places and situations. These programs are beneficial for teenage drivers because they teach these inexperienced drivers the many rules of driving, which is imperative for all young drivers to know before getting behind the wheel. Driver education should be a priority for all new drivers because ignorance of the rules could result in them being involved in an accident or causing an accident. Additionally, the many hours of practice driving with an instructor gives these new drivers real life experience in many types of driving situations such as driving in a city or merging onto interstates. These types of situations may be stressful for inexperienced drivers and could be potentially dangerous but practicing driving in these scenarios with an instructor can give new drivers confidence and skills to navigate these roads safely in the future.
Multiple steps may be taken to decrease the number of deaths related to driving each year. One step would be to always make sure that everyone in the car is wearing a seatbelt. Seat belts could potentially save two thousand to three thousand lives every year if everyone wore their seatbelt when they drove. Future cars should be designed so that the car will not start unless the driver’s seatbelt is buckled. Another step to reduce the number of deaths would be trying to prevent people from overdriving the conditions. In winter, some people tend to believe they are better drivers than they actually are or that conditions are not as bad as they are. This false belief will cause people to drive too fast in wintery conditions leading to either a potential crash or driving their car off the road. If people took the conditions seriously and did not try to drive too fast in poor conditions, it could lead to multiple lives being saved. Additionally, in my opinion, laws regarding driving under the influence need to be stricter. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website, every day in the United States 29 people die as the result of an alcohol-impaired driver. That is over 10,500 people every year. With the legalization of more drugs that number will unfortunately keep increasing if something is not done. Impaired driving is dangerous and those who ignore the danger need serious consequences. Lastly, each and every person needs to put the phone down before they put their hands on the wheel. Many people believe they are better drivers than they are or believe nothing will happen if they use their phone while driving so they ignore the laws. I have been behind some drivers who were using their phones and ended up swerving into the other lane. Eventually, they realized they were heading into oncoming traffic and swerved back however, this is not always the case.
Personally, I need to remember to allow myself enough time to get where I need to go. I have a tendency to want to sleep to the last possible minute before I need to leave for school. This has led me to become impatient when I am following a slow driver on the highway. However, if I leave home earlier, being behind someone slower does not frustrate me. Everyone must be diligent and do all they can to make roads safer. Driving a vehicle is a great responsibility and everyone is responsible for not only the safety of the passengers in their vehicle but also the safety of everyone they encounter.