Driver's education plays a pivotal role in reducing the numbers of deaths as a result of driving for an abundance of reasons. A main reason is that educated people are more likely to obey basic driving laws such as wearing a seatbelt and not texting while driving. Educated people are also more likely to be careful and cautious when driving, since they tend to be individuals who are able to consideration not only their safety but the safety of others. Being educated benefits not only the person driving, but other people on the road as well because an educated driver is not only protecting themselves from an accident, but also avoiding getting into an accident therefore protecting others.
Some steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving is simply to practice common sense. Driving while tired is something that can put yourself and others at risk. Making sure you have enough energy to get to your destination is important and will reduce the possibility of an accident. Keeping your car in good working order involves making sure that the care can be operated safely in public. It is important to make sure all lights and signal controls are functioning for both day and night time driving. To prevent difficulty driving in rainy weather, being sure that wipers are functional and the reservoir has enough window washer fluid.
Law enforcement of driving laws are critical social measures that shouldn’t be taken for granted. For example wearing a seatbelt is a pivotal law, especially when car is involved in a roll-over accident. People involved in rollover accidents have significantly less physical body damage due to the fact that their body is kept within the confines of a car’s frame. Texting while driving is also a common law broken on our roads today. Although many may think peeking down to their phones for a quick second can't hurt anyone, it certainly can. In a matter of one second, a whole life can be flipped upside down from texting and driving and getting into an accident. It is not worth risking your life to reply right away. I would recommend waiting the extra minutes to get to your destination first before texting back. Another notable step in obeying road safety is to follow the speed limit. Many people disregard the speed limits and this can lead to more accidents. People need to be more cautious and aware of when they are driving too fast. Driving over the speed limit is a big threat to one’s life if they get into a crash because the high speed will result in a higher impact. Many believe it's ok to ignore the limits, but they need to realize that the speed limits are put up for a good cause and there is a reason to obey the speed limit.
Another step to avoid deaths is not driving while drunk. Drunk drivers are responsible for approximately 31% car accident deaths. Drunk driving is simply just not smart. Although some may believe they are still in the right mindset after a few drinks, have someone else drive your car or be picked up. Drunk driving puts all cars on the road at risk. I personally have been in a car accident, as a matter of fact, all due to a drunk driver. I was completely stopped at a red light and another car were stopped behind me. A drunk woman did not slow down when approaching the end of the exit and the red light, and involved the car behind me along with my own car. This situation highlighted the importance of driving safe and being aware of your surroundings even when not in motion. Although my car was at the front of the line of the other car, the car had severe damage to the back. The driver and passenger of the car behind me had whiplash. The accident luckily did not put anyone in the hospital, but everyone in these three cars were shaken up. The drunk driver put the lives of many people in danger all because she believed it was ok to step into the driver's seat after drinking.
Some steps I can take to become a better and safer driver are to be more present and aware of my surroundings. I can get easily distracted and drawn into a conversation with the people I am driving with but I should learn to distance myself from the conversation for a few minutes and pay attention to my driving. I do this by establishing general guidelines with my friends such reminding them not to distract me while driving. One benefit of having other passengers and friends in the car is that they are at times a second set of eyes who keep an eye out for all of our safety. Keeping my safety a priority will not only help me, but others on the road as well.