The Speed at Which Death Hits

Drivers Ed Essay

Death is something inevitable to us all. Yet, to some extent, we are able to control how long we get to live before this happens. And in some cases, we are able to control how long other people get, before their time comes.

One of these cases, so important and relevant to most of us, is driving. Whether we’ve passed our test or not, driving is something that we all experience in our everyday life: as a passenger, as a pedestrian, or as a chauffeur for others; we’re surrounded.

Being such a prevalent part of human life means there can be detrimental consequences if something goes wrong; people can be physically and emotionally hurt and scarred from incidences where driving wasn’t taken seriously or conducted safely.

It is so important that education on safe driving is delivered; not only to those learning but to those who have been driving for years, and even to passengers. There are over 1 million deaths due to road crashes every year – this averages to over 3,000 deaths per day (WHO, 2018). In such a case where we do have control over the inevitability of death, it should be taken more seriously.

I believe that the most important factor in reducing the number of traffic accidents and related deaths/injuries is to educate people. “Education is a powerful agent of change. It improves health, livelihoods and contributes to social stability” (GPE, 2020). By raising awareness of and enforcing laws related to driving, this can help to promote safer driving. Further, I believe that drivers should be tested every five years to ensure their road safety and driving standards are up to date.

Unfortunately, for some people, the consequences of reckless driving are only considered after witnessing or experiencing something of the sort. This shouldn’t be the case. I know from my own experiences, all it takes is one distraction to cause an almost-accident on the road: one bite of a sandwich, one ‘bing’ of a text message – and at what cost? Luckily for me, I have never had an accident, but after an almost-accident or two, it occurred to me that it isn’t just my life that would be put at risk. Without 100% concentration and commitment to implement safe driving, I could cause extremely harmful consequences to many others, not just myself.

Upon reflection, I now abide by selfless rules of the road – no food, no phones, no loud music; just concentrate, be aware and stay alert. I tell myself, think of those around you; your ‘out-of-control’ driving should not control the outcome of someone else’s life. Even though death may be inevitable, the speed at which is hits someone, isn’t.

By educating people and raising awareness on how to keep safe, and the costs of not doing so, there can be universal change in the reduction of traffic accidents and their consequences.

References

World Health Organisation (WHO). (2018). Global status report on road safety. Retrieved from: www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/

Global Partnership for Education (GPE). (2020). Benefits of education. Retrieved from: https://www.globalpartnership.org/benefits-of-education