People often discuss the importance of safe driving, but the severity of car accidents in the U.S. illustrates a different picture. A lack of education among drivers is a large contributing factor to deaths behind the wheel, and these fatalities are easily preventable if people take more precautions and attempt to understand the rules of the road. The causes of fatal accidents can range greatly from drunk driving, to speeding, to aggressive driving. Losing a loved one to an accident or having someone you care for permanently paralyzed because of another driver’s carelessness is not something any person should have to deal with. In my city, there tends to be a lot of reckless driving from irresponsible teenagers, drunk driving from adults, and overall aggressiveness on the road. Further educating our drivers would allow them to understand how they should behave behind the wheel, which would naturally decrease the number of accidents. Education on “how to drive” is not the sole solution to car accidents; many accidents can be rooted in ignorance. Many people may feel a sense of overconfidence when driving. Those who speed often do not comprehend that their ability to control their cars isn't as strong as they believe and may cause an accident. Drunk drivers may feel they aren’t impaired and take to the road, while reckless drivers may have no regard for others’ safety.
To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, people must understand the possible repercussions of their actions. A driver caught under the influence of alcohol will likely repeat their actions if not disciplined, and someone speeding on the freeway will continue speeding unless punished accordingly. However, because there aren’t weighted consequences for these potentially life-threatening decisions, people often don’t change their poor driving behavior. A drunk driver took the life of a young girl in my city, and a sign is posted at a busy intersection in her memory. The driver likely understands what they were doing was irresponsible; unfortunately they realized the weight of their actions too late. Despite incidents like these, reckless driving is still common. Something as small as being on the phone while driving can be deadly, which isn’t emphasized enough. Driver education in schools is one of the best ways to enforce ideology surrounding driving, as teenagers are the group most prone to car accidents. Instilling possible consequences of poor driving into the minds of teenagers would definitely change the minds of some and cause them to take precaution when driving. For the general population, public service announcements, news stories, and banners/posters hung around cities could remind people about the dangers of driving, such as signs on freeways that read “don’t drink and drive.”
I have personally been in a car accident while on the way to a grocery store, caused by another driver’s lack of awareness and poor understanding of traffic rules. I was heading south down a straight road and was about to merge into the turning lane to turn right. As I was about to move over, I saw a vehicle turning left in front of me from the center left turning lane, attempting to turn into a 99 Cents Store parking lot. Since I wasn’t distracted or speeding, I was able to slam on my brakes quickly and prevent more impact to the front end of my vehicle. I essentially T-boned the other car but was not at fault in the slightest. After the crash, the lady I had collided with, and I, drove into the parking lot. I then asked her, “Why did you turn? You were supposed to wait.” She told me, “I thought you stopped and waved at me to go,” implying the crash was my fault. However, if she had understood the rules of the road, this accident could’ve been easily prevented. Firstly, I didn’t stop; I was traveling about 45 miles an hour and had not hit the brakes at all prior to seeing her car turn. Logically, I could not have stopped completely within the second I saw her vehicle. Secondly, had I waved at her to turn, she was in the middle left turning lane, and I was on the right side of the road, which means I had the right of way. She later claimed that I was speeding to make me seem at fault. However, the insurance company found through the street camera footage that I did in fact have the right of way and was not speeding (nor did I wave at her). I cannot say with 100% certainty if this lady genuinely believed she was in the right or was just trying to avoid increased insurance rates; however, if her knowledge of traffic laws is any indication of the understanding drivers have, it isn’t surprising that accidents are so common.
While I was fortunate enough to make it out of this accident unharmed, many people aren’t as lucky. One of the best ways to be a better and safer driver is simply to follow the rules of the road and to be considerate and compassionate toward others while driving. When put into perspective, most accidents happen because people aren’t following laws. Reckless driving is illegal, speeding is illegal, driving under the influence is illegal, texting while driving is illegal, and running red lights is illegal—these are all large root causes for accidents. A good set of rules for safer driving includes: using your turn signal, driving the speed limit, not running red lights, not using your phone while driving, always checking your mirrors, and not turning onto a road if you’re unsure whether you can make the turn before oncoming traffic arrives. It’s better to spend an extra 20 seconds waiting than to potentially cause an accident. While all of these may seem cliché and simple, they are very effective at keeping people safe. Following the rules of the road is the best way to drive safely. Oftentimes my sister will say that I drive like a grandpa, typically characterized by a slow and safe driver (slow meaning I drive the speed limit). However, I’ve only ever been in one minor accident in which I wasn’t at fault. If there were one saying that would keep people safe, it would be “drive like a grandpa,” because it truly serves as a good rule of thumb.
While accidents are inevitable, many solutions can work in conjunction to prevent them. If everyone were to simply follow the rules of the road, there would undoubtedly be a decrease in accidents. People who engage in reckless behaviors, such as speeding and driving under the influence, should be punished for their actions and required to participate in rehabilitation or driving classes to educate them on the errors of their ways. Naturally, humans make mistakes, and it is unrealistic to expect everyone to follow the rules to a tee. However, if a genuine effort were made by all drivers to do so, we would see a drastic decrease in the number of accidents