The Dangers of the Roads

One of the problems we face on the roads is safety. Traveling at high speeds in small steel boxes can be dangerous. While there are many laws to keep the roads safe the number of deaths caused by vehicle accidents is extremely high. Roughly 1 million deaths are caused by car accidents throughout the world. The most common cause of vehicle accidents has nothing to do with the car or the roads but is caused by the driver. The most common cause of car accidents is distracted driving. Technology can be the most to blame here as so many people use their phones while driving. Limiting phone usage while on the roads would decrease the number of distracted drivers and make the roads safer. Many people don't realize the danger they put themselves in when they text and drive. The thirty seconds it takes to send an "On my way!" text to your friend may seem harmless, but those thirty seconds were spent not looking at the road. It only takes one second for the car in front of you to slam on their brakes or a deer to cross the road and if your eyes aren't on the road that one-second results in an accident. In the United States, every 1 in 4 car accidents is caused by texting and driving, and people who text while driving are 4x more likely to get in an accident, according to the CDC. With these statistics it can be seen how removing phone usage from the roads would cause a large increase in the safety of the roads. To create safe roads, drivers must be educated on the reasons accidents are caused. This begins with educating drivers on how dangerous distracted driving is. It begins with the new drivers who are in a generation where technology is everywhere. Trying to persuade people to stay off their phones while on the road can be difficult because of the prevalence of technology in our daily lives. Trying to eliminate phone usage from the roads would be almost impossible, but being able to limit phone usage on the roads would decrease the accident rates caused by texting and driving. Implementing a driver education course as part of getting your driver's license can educate new drivers. Similar to how a course can be taken after getting a speeding ticket, which will hopefully decrease the likelihood that the driver will speed again. Educating drivers would be a step in the right direction however being told statistics may go right through a person's mind. For someone to be impacted enough to put their phone down they will have to have personal experience. Gaining first-hand experience in a wreck or injury of themselves or a loved one can make them realize they are putting their own lives in danger. One way to stop texting and driving is rewarding safe driving. It is unfortunate, but until someone experiences the dangers of their habits they won’t think anything of it. A way to get people to stop distracted driving without personal experience is a reward. Humans crave satisfaction and being rewarded for what they do. Many insurance companies have systems where a customer can track their safe driving abilities. The company will reward those who don't text and drive, which attracts people to stay off their phones while on the road. Many people don't have the willpower to make the change of staying off their phones while driving. Once drivers have realized the dangers of distracted driving they will be encouraged to stop others from doing the same. Even if one person convinces one friend to stop using their phone on the road that is one less chance of a wreck happening. Riding with a friend may be scary if they are on their phone because they are putting two lives at risk. Being educated to understand that this is a dangerous situation allows the person to share their knowledge with their friend. In conclusion, making the roads safer begins with getting people to keep their eyes on the road instead of their phones. Limiting phone usage while on the road starts with educating drivers. On the other hand, many will need a goal or impact to do so such as a life-changing event that has made them realize the dangers of texting and driving or a reward for being safe while on the road. When enough people have learned how much safer they are when they pay attention to the road they will make sure their loved ones are doing the same. Just eliminating phone usage on the roads would significantly make the roads a safer place for everyone.