Creating
Safer Driving Habits, One Car at a Time

Although
deaths due to driving are often spoken of, do most attempt to make a
difference based on just the numbers being spoken to them? 34,000 is
no small number of deaths, but without people experiencing it
themselves, they will not have motivation to make a difference.
However, by taking drivers ed, we can minimize this number,
hopefully giving people the ability to never know what it is like to
lose a friend or family member to a driving accident. Practice behind
the wheel is an essential part to becoming a proficient driver, but
learning the rules of the road is equally, if not even more
important. There are a few key steps to be taken in order to reduce
the number of driving-related deaths. Possibly the most important is
to be informed about the proper safety procedures that should be
taken while driving or even walking on the street near cars. The
driver must always be awake and alert while driving. This means that
if the driver is tired or intoxicated, they should let someone else
drive for them. Safe driving also includes driving at the posted
speed limits, wearing seatbelts, using headlights in the dark, to
name a few. Simply put, practice safe, and sometimes even passive
driving will minimize risk greatly. I have not been in a major car
accident, but I have experienced reckless driving with my dad. He was
backing out of a parking spot after we went out to eat at a
restaurant, and suddenly we felt a bump. It turns out that he had
backed up into a rock that was behind us! The reason this happened is
because he was focused on talking to us, became complacent, and did
not fully scan the area before backing up, resulting in unnecessary
car damage. Luckily, it was nothing major, but it could have been
much worse if it was a person, or an even larger rock. I have been
driving for around half a year, so I am decent at driving, but I am
still learning little things every drive I take. To become a better
and safer driver, it is very important to not develop bad habits that
are so easy to slip into. Keeping the good habits will allow safe
habits to be made, creating a safer driver. Practicing this in front
of others is also very important, because people are often influenced
based on how other people drive. With these tips in mind, people can
start advocating for safer driving, one car at a time.