Zeylie
Cheiky-Fakadej
Lakewood
High School

May
19th, 2020
In
the Driver’s Seat Scholarship

Driving
Alert Saves not Just Your Life, but Others Too
Zeylie
Cheiky-Fakadej

1.25
million people worldwide are killed in car crashes and most are under
their 30’s. Most teenagers are driving under the influence or get
in accidents around the age of 16-17. Deaths in the USA are near
34,000, on average. So why be put in that position, when you could
find alternatives?
Driving
safe is defined as being alert to your surroundings and looking at
the road environment. SInce 2005, car accident deaths have lowered
greatly, but that doesn’t mean the crashes have stopped. Someone
could be on their phone or driving under the influence of aka DUI.
There are people who will drive drunk, be high from drugs, or drive
home sleepy. Any of this is dangerous, and let’s be honest, it’s
not smart either. We all know and subconsciously know there can be a
handful of penalties too.


Now it is 2020, where we have
plenty of alternatives to keep others and ourselves safe from danger.
There are up to 4 safe ways to get home rather and drive home
yourself.

The
first one is most obvious for anyone and that is to ‘Appoint a
Designated Driver’. If you’re out with a group of friends, it’s
better to ask the one who has not had any drinks or type of drugs
that night to drive the group home. This can make the ride home 4x as
safe. Another alternative is public transportation, Ubers, and Lyfts.
Those you must pay for, but again, it’s better than being in danger
of injury. Lastly, nowadays we have people to specifically drive
drunk people home. They are taken home safely rather than feeling the
need to take a car home.


So no matter how old you are
and what you’re doing. Think about what you’re doing. Bring a
friend for a car service or even take public transportation. Don’t
be the next victim to crash the wheel. You only live once and that
shouldn’t be a car accident.