Driving Safe

Many people are either unaware or negligent of the importance of driver education. They miss the fact that more people have lost their lives due to poor driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during 2016, data shows 37,461 people were killed in motor 34,436 vehicle crashes. This was an average of 102 people that died a day. It hurts to hear when someone doesn’t care about safe driving. The one accident that could happen would be very hard for the victim’s family. We need to acknowledge that an accident may not end the victim’s life but it can leave him or her traumatized. Next, there are serious consequences to poor driving, legal consequences. Police could get involved and the driver could risk not just jail time, but also loss of driver’s license and fines. To combat poor driving skills there are schools and communities that try to promote safe driving. But the question is how can we promote safe driving? How can we save lives from being lost due to a careless person behind the wheel? What do we do to stay safe on the road?There are steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths caused by poor driving. First, everyone must acknowledge how dangerous it is to just take your eyes off the road for as little as three seconds. Second, I’d recommend putting cell phones on silent and putting them away. Some people usually have someone to text or talk for them. I personally would do that either, it is still a form of distracted driving. Next, we must watch the roads. I was told when my older sister was learning how to drive that you would have to assume that everyone else on the road is not paying attention. Having this mentality can help one to be cautious of others on the road. Then, we must avoid intoxicated driving. Many people do not know but alcohol usually slows the mind and results in slower decision making. As the law is now, buzzed driving is still drunk driving. In this situation, the one drinking can either have a sober designated driver or not drink until you are home. Lastly, there are some who aren’t good at driving in the weather. I would advise to drive slowly or not at all. Regardless of the weather and situation we must always pay attention to the road.I have not witnessed a car accident. I do hear situations of car accidents. Even though we practice responsible and attentive driving, it is important that others do so as well. Something as simple as passing out letters, teaching our children, or even hosting a meeting in the community to educate others on how to drive safely. This is the first step, it must start at home in practice in order to help save lives. Then, the most important step is putting safe driving into practice. Doing just the practice and spread of safe driver’s education can save countless lives.