Have you ever thought about the responsibility behind moving a steering wheel? Many people do not consider their actions when they begin driving since for many people driving is an act of freedom. We tend to think that we could accelerate to the highest speeds of our car to feel that sense of freedom on the highway, but what happens when that freedom takes the life of another person? Is that still considered a pursuit of liberty? More than ever driving has become a cause of death due to unresponsible drivers who do not consider for a minute the life of innocent people who die in every car accident. Right now, while I am typing this essay, unfortunately someone has died from a car accident since on average every 12 minutes someone gets killed from this type of incidents. But not everything is lost, car accidents can be controlled by educating the community of the power each one of us holds in the steering wheel. Besides avoiding drinking or texting while driving, a good driver should be responsible, considerate, and educated; qualities that could save millions of lives every single year from these unnecessary situations.
In the modern world, it is difficult to nourish values such as responsibility and consideration between the driver and the pedestrian, but such qualities can make driving less dangerous. Every time someone turns on the engine to start its journey, it is crucial for that person to have the initiative of following the instructions of the law. Small actions that some people do not even think about such as putting on a seat belt, checking the engine of the car, and putting in enough gasoline before starting a long journey are actions of a responsible driver because in that moment the person is not only doing it for themselves, but for the community as well. Making sure everything is all right can save thousands of people who are innocent of dying from the unresponsible decisions of someone else.
It sounds simple, but unfortunately not many people do all of these small acts of kindness and consideration towards pedestrians. In fact, pedestrians are the principal people who suffer from car accidents. How many times have we seen on the news the deaths of people who were just trying to cross the road? Countless times, and the saddest of all is that they were just trying to cross the road. For this reason, thinking about others and how your actions will impact the community around you will prevent multiple car accidents. It is as important as educating the community about driving regulations, which for some are just boring stuff that we do not need to know.
It’s true, not everyone wants to learn about the national guidelines of driving, specifically if you do not drive, but it is important for the driver and for the pedestrian to know about those guidelines since you can claim your rights when a driver abuses their power. How can we know if a driver is not following the law or if it was you when you don’t know the state regulations of driving? For example, where I live in California, the Walk Act secures the right of pedestrians to safety cross the road at places other than intersections and crosswalks without penalty. When the community gets educated in acts related to their rights it guarantees their liberty and in case of an accident, they will know who committed an error that could cost the life of another person.
One of the ways we get educated is by studying for the driving test. Even though people hate to fail the test and see it unnecessary to take such lengthy exam, it is necessary. People get forced to study to get a driver's license which guarantees knowledge that will stick together to their minds. Such knowledge is essential to prevent more deaths on the highways because knowing the driving regulations makes it able for everyone to know what is legal and therefore protect each other. Things like knowing when doing U turns are allowed and the speed limit makes a huge impact in preventing millions of deaths each year.
However, there is a lot more that should be done to keep reducing the number of deaths and some of those steps include, be patient, follow the law, be in the moment, and take your time. I know people always mention never to drink and drive, but it goes beyond that. Safety on the highway starts from being patient and understanding that you will get to your destination at one point. There is no need to accelerate but wait. My grandma has always told me that there is a solution for everything, except death, which in this case means everything because is better to get late to your destiny than to never get there or even worse, kill people on the way. Secondly, following the law is crucial and will never stop being a priority when driving because those guidelines will ensure everyone is on the same path which secures the life of everyone by doing the right thing.
But we cannot wait for everything to turn out to be good if in the beginning we are distracted when driving, which is why it is so important to stay in the moment. There have been multiple times where I have witnessed women doing their makeup while driving or people doing face time, all those things can wait. There is no act of kindness towards other people than being responsible drivers to ensure the life of everyone. But none of these steps can work out if people do not take their time while driving. We all should consider the amount of time we need to get to the places we wish to go to before leaving the house. This will reduce the number of accidents since people will drive at the speed limits without having the stress of getting late to your destiny. In other words, being responsible on the steering wheel and thinking before acting will prevent horrible situations from happening on the highway.
It might be true that I have never been in a car accident, but I do not need to be in one to understand the anxiety of seeing your loved ones in such a difficult situation. There are no words to describe the desperation of people when they find themselves in such a situation seeing blood everywhere or the worst things they could have ever imagined. Luckily, there are ways to stop that from happening by taking the initiative and never doing what the rest of the people do on the highway. I know it might be fun to overpass the speed limit and feel the wind hitting on your face, but such actions will not guarantee eternal happiness.
As a young woman, I want to spread awareness in my community of the consequences of our actions when driving and how we have the power to prevent yearly deaths from car accidents. I want to unite my community to fight together for a safer driving environment where we will not fear of leaving the house and stepping out in the crosswalks, where everyone follows the law, for the better of everyone. There is no such power as driving, and the power lies on your hands and your conscience of doing what is right.