It is great to see the topic of driving safely become increasingly popular over the last couple of years. While it is obvious to tell that car wrecks happen all the time, it is not until you hear things like more people have died because of car wrecks over two years than people who have died in a war. Facts like this put into perspective how dangerous driving really is, and more people should care about how serious of an activity it is. Tons of teens in high school and even adults love to play around with their friends and have races or even try to drift in their cars, which leads to dangerous speeding and loss of control of their vehicles. While it can be understood that they just want to have fun and play around, it is also very dangerous and deadly. Many people also drive without licenses or even pay to get fake ones. This is one of the biggest problems because driver education is a crucial step before drivers should be allowed on the road. Sure, anyone can press a gas pedal, but there are plenty other key aspects of driving besides simply making the vehicle move. Without taking driver’s education, people could go their whole lives not knowing what certain road signs mean, how to safely switch lanes, not knowing the correct approach at a four-way stop, not knowing what different symbols on their dashboard mean, etc. Not learning these things led to many drivers not giving pedestrians the right of way when they’re supposed to, not maintaining a good distance from other cars (which is a major cause of accidents), or knowing when a bad curve is approaching. All things mentioned above are reasons why driver’s education is so important to have if you’re going to be out driving on the roads.
An important section in my driver’s ed class dealt with drunk driving. My driver’s ed teacher showed a clip about a drunk driver and a severe accident he got into, killing a family in another car. While I do not think I would have ever participated in drunk driving, the clip alone was enough for me to never want to put myself in any situation like that and always advise my friends never to drive drunk. If more people saw videos of drunk driver wrecks or wrecks where drivers aren’t paying attention, I feel it would shake them into wanting to be a more aware driver. Another big, common problem that leads to car accidents is cell phones. Most people know that they should not be on their phones while driving because we hear and see on television or billboards all the time about its dangers. However, many people still think that just a tiny glance or sending a quick short sentence is harmless. I am sometimes guilty of this too, but this is not the case. In those two split seconds, you could end another person’s life with a single “On My Way!” text message. A good strategy I have personally used to help friends of mine while they are driving is to send messages for them. To really prevent yourself from being distracted by the notifications on your phone, you could simply put your phone on a “do not disturb” setting or turn off your ringer so those dings on your phone don’t prompt you to glance at it while you should be focusing on the road. If the severe accidents that happen in the split seconds we look down at our phone were portrayed more, people would begin to become wearier of it. We should also do more to encourage our friends and family to not text and drive or drink and drive.
I am glad to say that I have never been in a car accident. However, I have been in a car with people who were driving irresponsibly and swerving in lanes just for fun. While it was an empty road, it was still a scary experience. Immature teens and young adults like to have what they perceive as harmless fun just because there is an empty road, but they fail to realize collisions with other cars aren’t the only sources of car accidents. Playing around can lead to losing control and flipping your vehicle or flying off a bridge or cliff. Being in the car during that situation has made me so much more cautious about who I choose to get in the car with. Ultimately, I believe it is why I, fortunately, haven’t experienced a car accident. To know the rules of the road, stay aware while driving, and be more mature about your actions behind the wheel can lead to far fewer deaths related to driving. When you’re on the road, it is essential to stay alert to not only your driving but to other people’s driving. If everyone put more effort into this, there could be much fewer car accidents.