Astounded,
appalled, and startled were all understatements for how I was
feeling. “What is this place? Why are the roads so spacious? Where
are the people?”. These questions were flooding my mind and I
couldn’t say them aloud lest I was thought of an imbecile. As I
looked outside via the rear window of the car I was in, I couldn’t
stop myself but compare my hometown to America, which I would later
discern had dissimilar traffic rules. If you really want to apprehend
my bewilderment, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is
where I was raised. In Kenya, the roads were small, congested,
cramped with less or no less traffic lights and signals. Although
pedestrians used the same lane as cars, police officers stood at
crossroads patrolling highways.

Education
is the key to success; in this case, it is the key to our existence
by reducing driving related deaths. Through education, people learn
about hazard perception, accident avoidance, proper driving distance
between vehicles, speed management, correct merging, and road
positioning, lane changing, and dealing with blind spots; therefore,
providing drivers with the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for vehicle safety.

Strengthening
and enhancing traffic rules’ adherence by law enforcement agencies
will reduce driving related deaths. Increasing the number of police
officers safeguarding an area, and charging higher fines, citations,
and tickets will deter one from breaking traffic rules in the fear of
severe court punishment. However, personal steps taken to
become a better and safer driver as well as help others become safer
on the road are challenging-- self-discipline is required. First, one
must acquire drivers’ education, permit, and license. Secondly, one
should manage one’s anger when driving. Many people become easily
agitated when they are behind a wheel, thus, cursing people out and
even verbally abusing them, simply because of running late to an
important event. Lastly, one should leave early for school or work,
hence, reducing chances of over speeding.

Luckily,
I have never been in a car accident, but I do witness some of my
friends and family members driving irresponsibly. An instance that I
can vividly remember is when one of my friends was giving me a ride
in her car while she had her child stapled at the rear seat of the
car. As she was driving, she let go of the steering wheel and started
using her phone, forgetting that her child was with her and that she
posed a risk for causing an accident. I couldn’t stop myself but
reprimand her for her dangerous behavior.


Driving
is a skill that is learnable; it is not an inborn talent. And like
any other skill, it can be developed through time and effort. It is
the duty of each one of us to be safe drivers lest we continue having
staggering number of driving related deaths. “It is not about how
good of a driver you are; it is about the 5 seconds you take your
eyes off the road.”