Practice Safer Driving

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my very close family friend was killed due to a drunk driver. Because of the careless mistake of one, a family of 4 lost their husband and father. In 2016, an average of 102 people died a day due to fatal car accidents. Drivers education is very important as it thoroughly explains rules and limitations of the road. Without this knowledge of Do’s and Don'ts, it would be very dangerous to start driving behind the wheel. If more people are better informed of the rules of the road as well as what can happen when you do not take precautions, the number of deaths could reduce. Providing an updated version of drivers education may also help enormously. If there is drinking at group gathering and talk of driving is discussed, be the one to take the keys. As my father likes to say, “better to be safe than sorry”, that should always be the case when behind the wheel. I have seen many people drive irresponsibly and commonly, they are the ones with the most dents, or tickets. Something very common among our generation is getting things quick as well as getting places quick. Car accidents and irresponsible driving can come to a decrease if we just took our time getting there. If you know you are the type to run late, start leaving earlier. If you are the passenger, you can be what is called the “backseat driver” and tell the driver when they are driving foolish. What can also be done by the responsible drivers is keep a better look out. I was in a bad car accident about 2 years ago. I was stopped at a red light and the man behind me was looking down at his phone and slammed into me. Luckily I was far enough from the other to have not hit them, but I was left with some major back problems that have only worsened with therapy. If I had looked in the mirror, maybe I could have had a chance to get into a different lane. Another large thing that can be changed is the normalization of using phones in the car. Just because we are stopped does not mean it is not legal to pull out our phones and look at the Tik Tok our friend sent us. I see it as a very common bad habit in younger drivers just through my own observation. The steps I can take are similar to what I mentioned previously. I am guilty of rushing to places because I’m famous for being late. I can work on leaving earlier and taking my time rather than trying to make every light. Another thing I can work on is not getting distracted while driving. I find myself observing the people, stores, and billboards I see on my way wherever I go, but this can be very hazardous being that you aren't focused on the road. If we practice safer driving we can increase the number of deaths and accidents which take place daily.