The Importance of Safe Driving

Safe
driving is one of those things that are often overlooked. In my small
home town of Grants Pass, Oregon--filled with many country
roads--speed limits and safe driving are not enforced (due to the
lack of police officers in the area). Therefore, they are not viewed
as something of importance. This issue in my town has caused a rise
of distracted drivers as well as unsafe drivers. I believe these
issues can be resolved with better education prior to letting new
drivers on the roads. In years past, drivers ed was
provided in schools where students could learn the repercussions of
driving unsafely. However, these programs have since been removed due
to budget cuts, in rural areas at least. This leaves a plethora of
drivers on the road with a knowledge of driving only at a basic level
and left completely unaware of what the effects of their actions
while driving could be. As a result, accidents while driving have
become something not very out-of-the-ordinary. Many people at my
highschool drive on the roads after partying, therefore driving
intoxicated as well as too fast on the windy roads of the area. This
has caused many accidents in the area that have caused injuries and
deaths. We must view driving with a preventative mindset instead of
ignoring what unsafe driving can do. Personally, I will pledge to
drive both safe and alert and try to spread knowledge of what poor
driving can cause.