The Scary Truths of Driving

Driving. It’s the fastest and most affordable way to get to where you need to go. As easy as driving seems, it is not something that can be taken as a joke. Driver safety is extremely important, and if not practiced correctly, can result in terrible accidents. 

Every day 3,287 people die from car accidents (www.asirt.org).People constantly drive aimlessly. All people should be correctly educated on driver safety. Although teenagers are mandated to take certain drivers ed classes, these classes are usually not taken seriously by the teenager, and are extremely easy to pass.

Steps that need to be taken to reduce driving related deaths are simple. People need to be informed more often on the importance of reckless driving. Although there is no simple way to combat this issue, there definitely are several ways to inform drivers. 

Every 4 years, one must go to the DMV to renew their license. People could take a quiz every time they go to the DMV to show that they still know how to drive safely. On DMV websites, there could be easily accessible information that allows people to prepare for this quiz. 

Another idea is to have every registered driver take a mandated online quiz, through the DMV or another website, that can also be prepared for. If failed, the driver would be mandated to take a one hour class through the DMV, which they must pass with a quiz.

Another idea to enforce driver safety even more is to make the mandated classes that teenagers with their permits take through the state harder. When I took my test to see whether or not I passed this class, I found it to be extremely easy, not because I studied, but because it was common sense. If there was another way to make this test a little bit more challenging, and for it to emphasize distractions on the road, driving related deaths would diminish. 

Personally, I have not been in an accident, but know several people who have. One teenager in my town died from drunk driving. This event was tragic, but it shows how easy it is to die driving. My close knit town found this event to be devastating, but it also showed a learning opportunity for people to never drink and drive.

Easy steps to take to become a better driver are putting your phone out of sight, and even turning it off. The majority of driving related deaths are from distractions on the phone, and if the phone is off and out of sight, then it will also be out of mind. Drivers can be properly educated on the horrors of driving under the influence. 

The number of driving related deaths is something that needs to be greatly reduced. People should be properly educated on the effects of distractions in the car, drunk driving, and proper road safety.