On average, in 2021, there were 36,164 motor vehicle accidents daily in the United States (Progressive). Although that is a small percent of the country's population, that is a lot of people daily that have either been injured or died. This problem has increasingly become worse, as new drivers are entered into our roads and less and less education has been given to these new drivers. Some ways we can help with reducing these numbers and increasing the amount of knowledge given to our new drivers about phone usage, speeding, and road rage.
A big factor in most motor vehicle accidents throughout the country is the usage of phones while diving. Out of all the recorded accidents, about 26% have been caused by the use of cell phones while driving (Cell Phone Use while Driving Accidents Statistics). These accidents occur because, although one may think they can multitask, their full attention is not given to the road, and is divided amongst the road and the message they are trying to send. This part of driving is talked about, but not enough when getting the education needed to become a driver. Not only is it not talked about enough, but also ways to help prevent phone usage is not talked about enough. Ways as a community we can help prevent, or reduce the usage of phones while driving and encourage the young to do so as well is by finding a spot that is unreachable in the driver's seat, and placing any cell phones in the spot so it's not tempting to grab, even at a red light. Another way is by turning the phone on Do Not Disturb before driving so that no notification sounds tempt one to look while driving. These are just two of many ways, and can help with reducing accident risks from phone usage. Phone usage is a big cause of accidents, but isn’t the only.
Speeding is a main cause in accidents throughout the country as well, and is also a big factor in why these accidents end up being the most fatal. Out of all accidents in 2022, 29% of fatalities were caused by speeding, or in other words, 33 people lost their lives daily due to speeding accidents. This huge statistic shows how much of a problem speeding is, especially with new drivers on the road every day. Although this problem is one that has been unsolvable, no matter the precautions and education, there are ways we can help with limiting how many speeding drivers are on the road, which can reduce the amount of deaths caused by car accidents. One of these ways is going the speed limit on any and all roads. Speeding happens more often on highways and roads without traffic lights or signs, but preventing the want to speed on these roads will not only stop those behind us from speeding, but also show our young, new drivers that it is ok to go the speed limit. Also having the understanding that although cars have seat belts, the seatbelt doesn't prevent an accident if you are speeding, and in return, the driver still has a possibility of the accident being fatal, even if they wear the seatbelt. These speeding accidents happen for many reasons, but one of them is not recognized enough, and that is road rage.
Road Rage is something that Americans all over the country experience whether they are the person with it, a person who witnessed it, or even a victim to a bad case. There was a dramatic increase in fatal crashes from road rage, the numbers being 80 in 2006 to 467 in 2016 (TDI). These numbers rise every year, and crime on the roads from this factor is also slowly increasing with it. Growing up, I witnessed many almost accidents due to drivers becoming angry due to speeding, being cut off, and silly minor things that happen with others in the car. These are almost cases, but most times, road rage is the thing that leads to crashes. As drivers, in order to help teach the younger drivers about the dangers of road rage before they enter the road, we should demonstrate what a calm environment in the car looks like. Although we can’t change what those around us get angry about, we can help promote a decrease in the rage in our drivers. This can be done through lessons on how to react when someone cuts you off, lessons on how it is ok to sometimes go a little slower because of someone in front of you, and that your horn should only be used in the case of an emergency or if absolutely necessary. These lessons, although may not convince all, they will help increase how many people on the roads get angered easily and decrease fatalities due to road rage.
As a driver myself, some of the things listed I struggle to be perfect at. Change comes with time and practice, and one way this change can occur through me is if I start a habit of completing anything needed on my phone before I start driving in order to reduce the want to use it while driving. I could also go the speed limit and leave the place I am at a little earlier than I think to reduce the want to speed. I can also wait patiently for someone to go at a light that turned green instead of honking at them. These are just a couple of things I personally can do to help reduce the amount of unsafe drivers on the road. I can’t do it all myself though, what change are you willing to make to help reduce the number of car accidents daily?