In 2021, a total of 42,939 people died in motor vehicle accidents according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. . Most of these tragedies were caused by problematic behaviors such as driving under the influence and refusing to wear a seatbelt, and they could have been prevented with a better education of the dangers of the road. According to AAA, teens who took a driver's ed class lowered the risk of getting in a crash by 4.3% and receiving a traffic ticket by 40%. I took Driver’s education when I was 15 years old. Within this class, the idea of driving safely was pushed onto us at this young age. We were given statistics of deaths from driving under the influence, the importance of seatbelts, and the knowledge of the road and road laws. Although we hope that this information is shared with people who don’t go through driver’s education classes, that can’t be promised. Because of this, they may not fully comprehend the importance of road safety and go on to causing a motor vehicle crash that may cause a death or a life-changing injury. For this reason, Driver’s ed classes play a huge role in lowering the numbers of deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes.
Although I underwent a driver’s education class, along with practice drives and a final driving test, I still am not a perfect driver. When I was 16, I was driving around town with my friend to different stores to pass time and give us something to do. This was around mardi gras, so there was a lot of traffic on the road due to the parade that was going on. We decided to head home, and the parade was ending around the same time. Because of this, there were many cars backed up on the road which we were taking to get home. I stupidly took a quick glance down at my phone, not knowing how close we were getting to the stopped traffic. By the time I looked up, it was too late. I slammed on my breaks, and turned my wheel to prevent doing more damage to the car in front of me. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the man I crashed into did not press charges. His car ended up being totaled, and my car had $4,000 in damages. My choice could have caused a life, and that day taught me a lot. Since then, I have been more attentive and careful with my driving and let go of old bad habits.
In order to prevent these bad driving habits from continuing, implementing drivers education seminars for people after they already have their license may be a good fix. Every few years, adults with drivers licenses can go to the seminars and learn the statistics and effects of bad driving habits and how they can play a part in preventing motor vehicle injuries and deaths. Especially with constant technological advances, distractions while driving will keep changing and diversifying, and it is important that people are educated on the effect they can have on driving. Education cannot stop so early on, it is something that needs to continue to happen in order to have the most safety.
Another step that can be included is routine stops to check for alcohol or drug use. This can help reduce the amount of people that drive on the roads while under the influence. Driving drunk and driving on drugs are one of the most popular reasons for motor vehicle crashes. When a person is influenced while driving, they can cause a lot of harm. Advertising staying home while under the influence and conducting these checks can minimize this tragic outcome and save hundreds of lives.
With many teenagers today, texting while driving has also become a huge magnet for car crashes, myself included. Some steps that I personally take to reduce the urge to check my phone while driving include turning my phone on “do not disturb”, using handsfree to make calls, send texts, and change my music, and sometimes just pulling over when I need to text someone back or make an important call. This causes me to be more conscious of the road, and makes me a safer vessel for myself and the people around me. I could’ve taken a life the day I caused my car accident, and that’s blood that I truly don’t want on my hands. I know multiple people who have lost loved ones due to unlawful driving or bad habits, and I’ve seen how heart wrenching it can be to someone. Please, continue to take steps to make sure that you are the most aware and conscious driver you can be when on the road. Consider the fact that you can not only take your own life, but the lives of others, and possibly even put yourself in jail for vehicular homicide. Your life matters, and so does theirs.