What
Can Be Done for Safer Roads


Being born and raised in Florida, I see many distinctive styles of
driving on the road, from those who drive under the speed limit to
those who drive almost double the speed limit. Both can harmful at
times. Driving too slowly may cause other drivers to switch lanes
rapidly, causing traffic jams or car accidents. Driving too fast may
cause drivers to take turns to quickly and roll their cars or not be
able to stop their car fast enough in a traffic jam.

Drivers ed
is important in all states, not just touristic ones. However, there
is only so much influence that can be done by education. A major
cause of car accidents is distracted drivers: cell phone usage,
yelling children, loud music, etc. Not all distractions can be
monitored, but most can. The nation is already working on cars that
won’t start if the seatbelt isn’t buckled or until the driver
takes a breathalyzer, which are baby steps to reducing car
accident-related deaths. Cell phone companies should work with car
companies on a way to shut down cell phones when they detect motion
of 10 mph. There’s already a way for them to turn on a “do not
disturb” feature, but a complete shutdown would be more beneficial.
Another suggestion is for car companies to make audio max volumes
much less than what they are not. Loud music can eliminate sounds of
trains, emergency vehicles, or screeching tires, which can put the
driver in a dangerous position.

My father was a
victim in a car accident due to his friend’s irresponsible driving.
His friend dropped his phone under his seat. When he went to pick
it up, he took his eyes off the road and ran a red light, leading to
a collision. Unfortunately, acts like this are purely up to
influence and discipline. I believe the learner’s permit should
have a timeframe attached to it instead of an age. Instead of being
able to get your driver’s license at 16, the eligibility should be
changed to once you’ve had a learner’s permit for two, maybe
three, years. This will increase the driver’s supervised
experience, leading to better experienced drivers on the road.

In addition,
there should be a re-evaluation for driver’s licenses. In the
military, we have to conduct re-evaluations numerous times to show
that we are still capable of doing the job correctly. Many drivers
forget what they learn in their driver’s course. A re-evaluation
will help them remember their road signs and their driving laws,
leading to a safer driving environment.

In other parts of
the world, there are speeding cameras. Just like we have red-light
cameras, where a ticket is issued to a driver for running a red
light, it is also possible to use speeding cameras to issue speeding
tickets. Not only will this help influence drivers to drive closer
to the speed limit, but it may also temporarily help with funding for
wherever the ticket fee payments go to.