The Sharp Edge

Have you ever been using a knife, cutting meat or vegetables, and wondered how anyone could mess up so badly to cut themselves? You think to yourself, it is such an easy and repetitive task that could not possibly end in harm, but every day harm does result from it. Operating a vehicle is very much like this knife. You will never understand the amount of damage that can be caused until you experience it yourself. 

Many new drivers are cautious because obtaining their driver’s licenses exposes them to all of the dangers of driving. These new drivers tend to drive a little under the speed limit, check every surrounding multiple times, and stop completely at every stop sign, even when nobody is around. More experienced drivers, however, begin to gain confidence that driving a car is a very safe activity that can never result in harm. These drivers begin speeding, rolling through stop signs, and forget to check their surroundings. This creates a great danger when driving, because everyone on the road driving in this way will eventually lead to an accident. 

These accidents occur every day. In the United States, nearly 17,000 crashes occur every day, resulting in nearly 112 deaths. That’s around 12 crashes every minute with a death every 13 minutes. This figure is staggering and should be an eye opener for many drivers. There are three main problems in American culture that cause this. First, people behind the wheel have become too confident because they are so used to driving without accidents. When someone regularly does something dangerous without being harmed, they come to think that the activity is safe. Another reason is that those who haven’t experienced disaster when driving have no fear of it and believe that it cannot happen to them. Everybody thinks that car accidents couldn’t happen to them because they are rare, but this is not true. And the final, maybe biggest reason as to why accidents on the road are so common in the United States is that people begin to prioritize other things higher than safety. People become so confident while driving that they completely forget how dangerous driving can get and begin to think more about being late to that appointment or being cool on the road rather than being safe.

Sure, maybe if a small percentage of drivers have this mentality, then the overall danger when driving does not increase too much, but the problem is that almost everyone on the road drives without safety on the forefront of their minds. So, what can we do? First of all, we can increase media coverage on the possible dangers of driving, reminding people of the consequences of careless driving. We can also begin testing people about road safety every time they have to renew their license, which again reminds people that road safety should be their number one concern. These changes are systematic and may take a long time to implement, so what can we do as individuals? First, we can begin with little things such as fully stopping at every stop sign, stop trying to beat red lights as the light will always win, and stop speeding. The risk that comes with beating the red is never worth it, and speeding is unnecessary. If you are running late to something then it is your responsibility to have been more prepared and leave earlier so that you do not have to drive as dangerously.

Drivers ed is critical to the functionality of roads in our society. Without drivers ed, drivers will have to learn about the risks of careless driving through personal experience, which would raise accident rates to higher than the staggering figures that they are already at. Much like the sharp edge of a cutting knife, users need to know exactly how to utilise it safely and efficiently.  

As a teenager myself, it is astounding the way that some of my peers take driving. The complete lack of caution is shocking to see. All of these people who want to look cool and think it will garner them more respect by breaking the rules of the road. This culture of prioritizing social status over safety needs to be changed. Adding on top of that the fact that many teens are also going into drugs and alcohol, creates scenarios where inexperienced drivers who are also under the influence are all over the road. This is a very consistent recipe for disaster. Prioritize safety over all else when on the road, because when that knife cuts you, you will have wished you took more caution.