The road is probably one of the most unrealized places of high risk of danger, and most of us take it for granted that every day, we survive journeys that have a higher likelihood of death than skydiving!

There’s a common joke amongst my generation, that the next batch of medical school graduates are going to rely on Chat GPT to diagnose their patients. However funny this may be, it is a sad confession of the newly common inability to apply one’s self, the side effects of which are evident in the average driving competency of an American. Instead of diligently training to make sure we’re fully equipped to hit the road, we instead do the bare minimum just to pass the driving tests and get it over with. Though even I am guilty of this, after further acquaintance with a sample of ‘lovely’ Texan drivers, it’s clear that there needs to be a higher standard of driver education implemented to ensure that all those who eventually secure a license are unable to avoid the required training.

In order to ensure the safety of all road occupants, I would suggest there be an increase in the implementation of measures such as speed cameras to deter drivers from the occasional speed limit push, along with the enforcement of mandatory safety features like dashcams, in order to promote accountability. Another promising step would be to promote the development of and investment in vehicles equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems. Examples such as lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring would significantly reduce the impact of human errors on the road by accounting for them through automated safety responses.

The circumstances under which a bulk of road accidents take place are during periods of heightened traffic. Therefore, investing in and encouraging the use of public transportation, carpooling, and cycling could possibly prevent potential collisions by reducing traffic volume. It also follows that traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, narrower roads, and roundabouts should be prioritized as well. Alongside these, governments could undertake the development of safer roads with improved signage, traffic lights, and crossings for occupants like bikers and pedestrians.

Lastly, governments should prioritize investing in extensive media safety programs and advertisements on the subject to open the public’s eyes to the severity and importance of this life-and-death matter. As with many things, the biggest reason why people yet fall victim to easily avoidable calamity is ignorance, therefore by informing drivers, young and old, on the reality of the need to be obedient to the laws put in place, we can prevent a whole lot of mourning and make our road experience a peaceful one indeed.

I vividly recall once, after my family attended a Sunday service, my mother thought it would be a good time to give my eldest sister a driving lesson by letting her make the drive home. After some time behind the wheel, her lack of experience manifested, causing her to overreact on a turn and swerve the wheel to the right. This could have ended tragically had she not stopped the car just in time to not hit a family of four walking in our path. My sister unfortunately passed away some years later, but this event so traumatized her to the point that she never drove again until the end of her life. This displays the dangers inexperienced drivers pose when they hit the roads prematurely, showcasing the need for the necessary driver education. If my mother had considered the risk my sister’s lack of experience posed to the lives of the other road occupants, as well as ours, she possibly would have chosen to at least have her attend a driver’s ed class before such an endeavor.

An effort I can make individually to contribute to road safety is to go the extra mile by holding myself to a strict standard of adherence to all road safety laws, some of which are usually trivialized. For instance, most either don’t know or care that passing others in Texas is only allowed on the left, and drivers can only pass on the right if the vehicle being passed is making a left turn or if there are two or more lanes to the right. By learning of and following such rules and making a consistent effort to share such rules with others, I can at least reduce the amount of risk I personally pose to other drivers while creating a greater level of road safety awareness in my community.