Every year millions of eager young 16-year-olds rush over to the DMV to get their driver's license. However, driving can be very dangerous as many don't realize how dangerous the roads can truly be. I have seen how car accidents can impact people's daily lives. When I was 16 my friends started to drive me around, and many of them were reckless. My friend was driving me around one night, and she was purposefully swerving her car as she thought it was funny. As she was a dog ran into the streets and swerved into a pole, thankfully no one was hurt but she completely ruined her car. She had to work for a year to pay for a new car, and even then her parents were very strict on where she drove. While this taught me a lot, nothing would have prepared me for when I came into school one fall afternoon. I walked in and lots of people were crying, I asked what had happened. I learned that a classmate I had been in school with for the past 10 years had died. His other friend lost one of his legs. I was shocked that this could happen at my school, and due to their reckless driving nonetheless. That is when I realized that people truly need to do more to protect those unaware of its consequences.
Additionally, education is a very good solution to reckless driving. When students go to driving school they learn the true responsibility driving is. Many driving schools show pictures of those injured and bring in guest speakers to talk about how accidents changed their lives. People can see this firsthand and truly get a sense of the responsibility they hold when driving. Knowing driving is dangerous is a lot different from truly seeing how it impacts people. People have a hard time understanding that this can also happen to them, and the ones they love. These classes can also teach defensive driving techniques and help keep people safe from reckless drivers. Understanding what to look for and how to react to certain situations can greatly reduce the chance of serious injury. Students also learn to be more aware of their surroundings and not be so distracted. Lastly, classes help ensure that drivers know and truly understand the rules of the road. Many people think they know everything about driving however if they decide to travel outside their normal route new signs could show up. Knowing what a railroad crossing sign looks like or what a roundabout is used for. Having an instructor in the car alerting you of these things makes it a lot easier to comprehend.
Moreover, enforcing and creating laws can discourage reckless driving. They have already created a multitude of different laws to deter people from dangerous driving. There are laws in place that hinder drunk driving, placing high fines on those convicted and even potential for jail time. Speeding laws also can come with high fines and can even be a felony if they are speeding fast enough. While these laws are very helpful there is still more to do to ensure public safety. Making sure these laws are enforced is a difficult task, but one worth it. Increasing the number of officers in a certain area or putting up more speed checks can help to hand out tickets and prevent further speeding. Designing roads that encourage slower and safer driving could also help to prevent accidents. Putting in roundabouts, speedbumps, and other speed-preventative methods push people into safer driving habits. Changing the roads may be an expensive fix but it can prevent millions of dollars in medical bills and damages.
Overall, the world has a lot more to do in the sector of road safety and prohibiting reckless driving. There is a good amount of the state and federal government can do to help but there is also a good amount I can do today. Getting onto social media and preaching the importance of safe driving is just one thing I can do to reduce accidents. Showing how reckless driving impacts people is just one of the things I can share with my friends and those at my university. I can also practice safe driving to encourage those around me to also drive safely, while also keeping myself safe. Also, I can report dangerous driving to local authorities to prevent them from doing anything else reckless. I want to do as much as I can to prevent those around me from getting hurt, and potentially even dying.