Road safety is always important. If you disobey the laws, you could get seriously hurt and may even cause death to yourself or others. Using your seatbelt should be a priority when getting into a car. If this is not done, you could fly out of the windshield if you’re ever in an accident. Another safety concern while driving is staying off your phone. Using your phone while driving causes major distractions that could lead to an accident. Lastly, is to not speed. If you are speeding and/or recklessly driving, you could hurt yourself and other people on the road. I have had a bad experience of losing a friend from school who got into a tragic car accident that was caused by someone else not paying attention. I also know multiple family members and friends who drive irresponsibly and do not follow these safety rules. Road safety and obeying laws while driving is always important.
Driving without a seatbelt is extremely risky and could be fatal. Putting your seatbelt on should be the first thing you do before you put your car in drive. Some people don't like wearing seatbelts because they leave scars if you crash, but I think having a scar is better than being dead or thrown out of your car. People wonder if seat belts save lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts have prevented 374,276 deaths since 1975, saving 14,955 lives just in 2017. Wearing a seat belt saves many lives, but some people think they kill more lives because the seatbelt is too tight. Some feel claustrophobic and fear they might not be able to escape fast enough if something serious were to happen. Although some people don't like wearing seatbelts, you should always wear your seat belt, so you are not at risk of dying or being thrown around in your vehicle. Even if you find yourself in a vehicle with family or friends who don’t wear seatbelts, you should always choose safety first and fasten your belt. If in an accident, the person wearing the seatbelt will probably have a better chance of living than the person who's not wearing a seatbelt.
Following the rules of the speed limit will reduce the risk of getting into an accident, getting pulled over, and hurting someone else. Going over the speed limit may not seem like a bad thing when you are driving, but speeding shortens the reaction time needed to prevent a possible collision while increasing the distance required to stop the vehicle. Driving too fast for the conditions of the road caused 21% of serious collisions involving teen driver error according to the (teen driving source). Speeding can cause much more than just a ticket and an insurance increase. The faster your speed, the harder you hit in a collision. Going fast and hitting someone can cause a lot of damage to your car, yourself, and others. Speed-related deaths are higher with teen drivers than older drivers because teens think they need to speed to get to where they are going faster. You might get there faster, but you also risk not getting there at all. The consequences of driving recklessly could ruin your life or the lives of others. Driving the speed limit is a much safer way to drive.
Distracted driving caused by using cell phones is a dangerous practice that poses a serious threat to road safety. Unfortunately, it is common for teens to engage in this behavior because they are often glued to their phones. According to the statistics, car accidents involving distracted drivers have resulted in the loss of 3,142 lives and an estimated 324,652 injuries. Additionally, 7% of drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 were found to have been distracted on their phones during these accidents (as reported by cell phone teen driving). Using your phone while driving, whether for texting, talking, checking social media, or watching videos, is becoming increasingly prevalent and potentially fatal. The best way to avoid this dangerous practice is to refrain from using your phone while driving. Instead, check your phone before you start driving and after you arrive at your destination. This way, you will be able to focus on the road and reduce the likelihood of traffic incidents. By doing so, you can ensure that you arrive at your destination safely, while also avoiding any potential accidents and associated costs.
The accident rates in teen driving get worse as the years go on. According to the graph below it is showing that young drivers have a very high death rate. Young driver fatalities make up 38% of all fatalities related to young driver collisions. There were 2,116 fatalities involving young drivers in 2021, 1,065 deaths involving young drivers' passengers, 1,666 deaths involving occupants of all other vehicles, and 718 deaths involving non-occupants. Although the total number of deaths is going down, teenage and young driver car crashes are terrible. Not only because they kill and seriously injure people in their early stages of life but also because they can be prevented. I hope that this literature will help other people know about safety and will help with the number of teenage deaths going down tremendously.
In conclusion, remember driving is a privilege and that privilege could get taken away from you if you disobey these laws. You are also responsible for other people in your vehicle so make sure they wear a seatbelt too. If you get into a crash and hurt them it's your responsibility. This is why I always wear my seatbelt, drive the speed limit, and stay off my phone while driving. I’ve personally seen the impact of not following these rules affecting the lives of my friend’s family members, and I never want to put myself or my family in that situation. Safe driving saves lives.