Growing up in Idaho, I’ve experienced my fair share of dangerous driving conditions. With that, of course, comes an unfortunate number of car accidents. Over this summer alone, I saw three separate motorcycle accidents at the same intersection. In previous years, I’ve watched countless cars drifting into ditches and lamp posts. Personally, I’ve only been in one accident, but that singular incident just further showed me how dangerous driving can be, especially with certain people. It is extremely important to keep people educated on the dangers of driving, and make sure they understand the fact they are operating a vehicle almost 22 times the weight of the average person. To help reduce motor vehicle related deaths, keeping up on driver education and simply promoting safe, defensive driving is essential.
The main way to lower deaths is driver education. The number of drivers I’ve talked to that don’t have a good understanding of traffic laws is terrifying. While expecting 100% comprehension about every law is a bit much, expecting them to understand the ones that will prevent accidents is necessary. Recently, I moved to Utah, and as sad as it makes me, there are significantly less accidents here. The main difference I have noticed between Utah and Idaho is that Utah actively promotes safe driving to the point it feels suffocating. They have signs and ads everywhere reminding drivers of the importance of not driving while tired and keeping an eye out for pedestrians. On top of that, Utah has open book, low question driving tests. While this may seem counter-intuitive at first, I’ve found it pushes people to study the book more than Idaho’s lengthy test. Utah’s test includes hard to find content that you only know if you fully read the book or know where to find it. Idaho’s is more surface level and doesn’t push you to learn the laws in Idaho. Utah’s test features questions about what can happen if you are pulled over for dangerous driving and serves as a reminder for how serious it is, Idaho’s simply asks you what the following distance in. This style of test question causes in-depth studying for the test, and therefore in-depth understanding of the Utah laws. If more states had tests like this, and promoted safe driving the way Utah does (or even better than Utah), I fully believe we would see less driving related deaths. Driving education is essential to the safety of the people on the road, and next to it. If our drivers are not educated, they will not only be a danger to themselves, but also others.
However, even more dangerous than an uneducated driver, is a reckless one. The singular car accident I was in was because of reckless driving. My friend drives an older mustang that is very sporty and fast. It’s also extremely touchy. We were driving to lunch one winter day when he decided to whip the wheel, sending us into a tailspin straight towards a trailer set up like a ramp. He was able to gain control of the car just in time to crash trunk first into a snowplow. All this just because he thought it would be cool. I have countless stories of friends experiencing similar things, reckless driving just for the sake of looking ‘cool’ or ‘for the thrill’. What these drivers often forget is that they are operating a heavy piece of machinery that can cause permanent damage to, or even kill people. A big step in lowering the number of driving-related deaths is to remind people that cars are not simply joy rides. They are dangerous and should be driven with care. Promoting seminars, or even just posting on billboards reminding people to drive safely and defensively could significantly lower the number of reckless drivers, just by reminding them they aren’t the only people on the road. This, paired with an increase in drivers’ education would help lower accidents by hopefully bringing people’s attention to not only the dangers of driving, but also the fact they aren’t alone. Making sure people understand the consequences of their actions, or what could happen in the case of an accident, would open their eyes to the reality of dangerous driving.
This doesn’t just apply to others, but to myself as well. In the end, the best way to make the road a safer place is to educate yourself and others. I am a strong advocate for retaking the drivers test, or practicing it, every couple of years just to make sure you still understand the rules of the road. I have also been personally working on driving more defensively and preaching to my friends about the benefits as well. It’s less stressful to drive defensively, worrying about yourself and being safe, versus driving aggressively and only focusing on your destination. Everyone could always take a few more steps towards being a more defensive driver, such as allowing people to merge, signaling early, not brake checking and more. Overall, the best way to lower deaths on the road is to promote driver education and defensive driving.