Every Driver Is Responsible for Someone Else

Each year, many deaths occur due to road accidents in the United States. However, since the number of deaths is very high, it often tends to become just noise to us when in fact each of those lives went out with an expectation of returning back home safely. All of us travel daily through our cars without giving it any thought whatsoever; it is exactly this thoughtlessness that makes it dangerous.

Driver education is important because it is normally the only formal instruction one gets prior to doing anything with life and death stakes. The license exam proves that an individual knows how to parallel park and interpret traffic signs but it cannot prove how quickly a distraction transforms into a collision. Effective driver education provides practical knowledge of stopping distances, speed, drunk driving and cellphone use so that a driver knows what dangers he/she is risking before making a costly mistake. New drivers are also those who are more prone to thinking that nothing like that will ever happen to them. Driver education substitutes such overconfidence with understanding. Driver education also creates a consistent message about safety from different people so a teenager hears the same thing at home, in school and on the street.

This has been evident in my own life because I am a parking attendant. During my shifts, I have had the chance to observe how people drive when there is minimal risk involved. Although speeds in a parking garage are slow, I have seen many motorists using their cellphones when pulling out of a space, running red lights and not checking mirrors when backing out with pedestrians approaching the entrance. However, most of these people are not reckless. They either get distracted or rush. This has enabled me to realize that dangerous driving does not happen dramatically. Rather, it becomes so by the accumulation of certain behaviors.

There are several measures that can be put in place to minimize driving fatalities. First is the provision of better driver training programs that continue even after one gets a license. This way, defensive driving programs will become common practices and not something that people enroll for after receiving a traffic ticket. Second is the enforcement of laws against speeding, drunk and distracted driving. Without proper enforcement of these laws, they are ineffective.

Technology comes third. The automatic braking systems, lane departures warning and features that prevent using phones while driving are all technologies preventing accidents. Being a Computer Information Systems major, I find this very exciting; however, at the same time, I understand that no matter how helpful the technology may be, it does not replace people's attentiveness. An individual relying on the car to prevent all his mistakes remains a liability. The last step to take is making changes to road design. Better lighting, clear crosswalks and reduced speed limits in pedestrian areas will make the mistakes less fatal.

In addition to that, drivers need to be accountable to one another. The majority of accidents happen due to the fact that the person behind the wheel had a passenger, a friend or a family member who could have warned him about the mistake he was about to make. It is unpleasant to do this; however, it is a lot better than dealing with the consequences of the accident.

In terms of actions that I can take, first of all, this concerns myself. I can turn off the notification on my phone and leave home with a margin of time to ensure that I will not be in a rush. I can make sure that I keep a safe distance from the vehicles, always check my blind spot, and never drive in the condition of being sleepy or drunk. Rushing is one of the simplest habits to develop, but one of the most dangerous. If I am running late, it is better to be late than be reckless.

I can also influence others' behavior and make them safer. I can speak up as a passenger and point out anything that does not seem right to me. I can set an example and talk about my experience to demonstrate that these dangers are real to my family, friends, and colleagues. Most people do not intend to hurt anyone. They simply need a reminder that their actions matter.

The process of driving involves more than just traveling from point A to point B. It is a process where the driver takes responsibility of himself, his passengers and even the other motorists on the road. Educational initiatives, enforcement measures, technological advances and even road design can be helpful, but none of these would be effective without drivers assuming that responsibility. I intend to be such a driver and influence others to join the group. Many of the lost lives could have been spared if the drivers would take an extra second to do something different.