As a driver who has been on the road for about 2 years, I have encountered all forms of driving on the road and numerous ways drivers have shown negligent attention while driving. People have all sorts of different experiences with how they were taught to drive, whether it be practicing with cautious parents, or with a driving instructor through the driver’s ed program. Some people may get the full 50 hours practicing, while others may only get about 2 total. People on the road vary in age, awareness, and overall knowledge and morality of the road, which can lead to bigger issues and deaths due to poor driving.
There are countless steps that can be taken to bring down the number of deaths on the road. For starters, implementing thorough testing and making sure drivers have complete awareness of the rules and laws for driving. The best way to combat wrecks on the road is to try to prevent it from the beginning by instilling the idea of responsible driving. Another step to be taken would be to encourage polite driving to prevent road rage. According to an article, “Road Rage and Accidents: The Danger of Anger,” roughly 60% of traffic fatalities and around 30 murders each year are the result of aggressiveness on the road. That statistic initially surprised me because it seems crazy that a meaningless thing like road rage could be one of the leading causes for so many traffic fatalities. There can be more light shone on ways to avoid road rage, such as driving a safe distance from another car, trying to keep personal emotions controlled, or if necessary, calling 911 if there is danger or possible retaliation. One of the biggest causes for vehicular accidents is distracted driving. Now more than ever with smartphones, Bluetooth music, and digital navigation systems, distracted driving is taking place. Especially over the last decade, technology has caused drivers to multitask at the wheel whether it be texting or on a phone call. According to the National Institue of Health, in the year 2010, Kansas banned texting while driving, but most of it continues to go unnoticed. It needs to be encouraged more that cell phones have no place in the hand of a driver unless it is an emergency phone call. If police see phones, there should be tickets.
I consider myself to be a responsible driver. I have never been pulled over or gotten a ticket, I stay off my phone while driving, and I do not eat while I am at the wheel. I cannot afford to be a reckless driver, because I pay for my car and all the payments. However, I have been in the car with irresponsible drivers and that makes it to be a scary situation as a passenger. In high school, I had a friend who was in over 5 car accidents due to negligent driving because she was distracted on her phone. None of the accidents she was in was fatal to her or anyone else involved, but a lot of money and a couple of cars were hurt in the incidents. When I would carpool with her, she would routinely reach for her phone to text her mom, scroll on Instagram, or change the song on Spotify. I would then remind her to get off her phone to avoid another accident, but who's to say she did not do that stuff alone? I would worry that one day she would get into a deadly accident herself or cause another person to. Another incident I have had with irresponsible driving was with a friend who one night had too much to drink, and no driver to get to her home. She knew that she would be drinking in advance and had not planned for any transportation to get to her home, so I had to drive her, which in turn caused me to get home an hour later than expected. I was terrified at the idea of someone under the influence would get on the road, so in turn I had to change my own plans to make sure that did not happen. The only experience I have of being in a car accident was early in the morning on the way to school during my senior year, where my car was rear ended at a stop light. Up until then, I had never experienced anything like that. I was terrified that my car was pushed forward and unaware if my car was ok or not. The kid who initiated the wreck also went to my school and had been distracted by his phone at a red light that he did not hit his brakes in time and hit the car in front of him which in turn hit the rear end of my car. Thankfully, no one was hurt and my car got away with a minor bump and a few scratches. However, the car behind me had its entire rear end crushed and the kid who caused the wreck had smashed the whole front of his truck. It was a frightening experience to have to deal with the police officer, insurance, and repair shop to fix the damage on my car. For a while after I subconsciously was a little scared at every traffic light, I had subconsciously felt scared that another car behind me would rear into my bumper again.
As a somewhat new driver, I do my best to stay safe on the road and not add to the stereotype that young people are reckless drivers. Personally, my main vice when it comes to driving is my phone. Some steps I could take to be safer on the road to never touch my phone while driving, unless I am making an emergency phone call. I occasionally will get on my phone to change the music if I don’t like a song, but the good thing about the music app I use, Spotify, is that it allows me to make playlists and que up the songs I want to play, so I do not even need to touch my phone to switch to another song. Habitual things like switching a song or sending a message happen without my realizing, but I can make an effort to catch myself making the error, and slowly break those bad habits. With regards to helping other people be safe when driving, I can just call out bad actions. As a passenger, if I see dangerous or negligent driving, I could call it out and kindly correct the driver. Another step I could take to help others to be safer on the road would be to not let people who should not be driving drive. If I ever see someone impaired or unfit to drive, if possible, I could drive them or find another driver too. Educating and making people aware of the dangers of driving under the influence is a good way to get people to avoid doing that and making the roads safer. Lastly, following the basic rules such as obeying the speed limits, using turn signals, and being courteous on the road toward others is a simple way to ensure my and others’ safety on the road. Taking precautions on the road and being mindful of other drivers is the best way to bring down incidences on the road.