Rules
of the Road: How They Can Save Lives
Vehicles
are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. With a
death toll that surpasses many wars and fatal diseases, the need for
solutions is dire. Considering the fact that an enormous majority of
these deaths could have been prevented through better choices,
effectively and more thoroughly educating and raising awareness to
drivers is of colossal importance.
The
United States is one of the easiest nations to obtain a driver’s
license in. The road test needed in order to procure a license
domestically is significantly shorter and easier than that of other
nations. If we increase the difficulty of the drivers test and
require drivers to have immense knowledge of the rules of the road,
drivers will be better educated and will be better prepared to make
complex decisions that will help ensure road safety. We can make the
test harder by putting future drivers in a variety of situations that
would require them to think critically about what to do, increase the
length of the test to ensure drivers can focus for a long period of
time, and establish state-mandated guidelines on how a specific road
test should be conducted to ensure that these procedures are followed
by everyone.
The
emphasis on increased education should also be present in the
prerequisites involved with getting your license, specifically the
drivers ed course. Priority should be placed on drugs and
alcohol and the effects this has on driving. This can include
demonstrations to illustrate the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and
driving and interviews or documentaries of people who have been
negatively impacted by driving under the influence. These films
should include the negative effects on both a victim and an
aggressor. I believe demonstrating the story from both points of view
will further discourage individuals from drinking and driving. As the
son of a deceased alcoholic, I know what it’s like riding in a car
with someone who is intoxicated. Seeing his constant drifting and his
inability to comprehend directions instilled fear in me that is still
present in me every time I step into a vehicle.
Awareness
is definitely something that can be utilized to help everyone become
safer drivers. Since teens are a common culprit of reckless driving,
raising awareness through platforms they use is necessary to get the
message out. This can be done by placing ads on various social media
platforms such as instagram, youtube, facebook. Since adults have
further embraced the increased use of technology and social media,
these messages will also be exposed to them as well, successfully
furthering the message to a broader audience.
Sadly,
there is a limit to how much we can do in preventing vehicle-related
deaths. We can only do the best we can in preventing these avoidable
tragedies by furthering and strengthening drivers ed and
bringing attention to the importance of safe driving. Successfully
doing this will make certain that driving becomes a safer activity
that everyone can engage in and enjoy.