Driving is a daily and necessary task for many people all over the world. While driving there is always the risk of getting into a potentially fatal accident. Unfortunately, thousands of car accidents happen everyday all over America, but there are ways to lower accident rates that we can all help to contribute to. Seeing people in my school and local community lose their lives while behind the wheel is a gut wrenching thing to hear about, and it all happens so suddenly without warning. Through these events, I have a new-found perspective on safe driving and how to be better behind the wheel. Car accident fatalities can be reduced by not only taking more precautions while behind the wheel, but also by using the resources and education available to improve general driving knowledge and awareness of road safety to lessen the possibility of accidents as much as possible.
Educating oneself on safe driving habits can not only help to decrease and forego unsafe driving habits, but also helps to keep drivers constantly aware and help develop consistent defensive driving skills to react accordingly to any situation while out on the road. Another factor to look at to help reduce road fatalities is looking into more ways to stop drivers from operating their vehicles while under the influence, potentially jeopardizing their judgment and risking the lives of others around them. In the year 2022 alone there consisted of “13,524 people killed in these preventable crashes.” (NHTSA). Ways to prevent people from drinking and driving range from designating a driver who is sober to drive, to calling a taxi or rideshare to get home as opposed to driving under the influence. We must also take into consideration different age groups and time on the road as well. For young adults, car accidents are the leading cause of death of teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. In the year 2020, “About 2,800 teens in the United States ages 13–19 were killed and about 227,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes” (CDC,2). Factors that play a role in the higher death tolls for teen drivers can be a lack of experience which can trickle down into potential difficulty in certain driving conditions, overconfidence leading to risk taking behaviors, and distracted driving like texting, are all factors in teen accidents. Parents of teens are a crucial part of decreasing teens' risk on the road by instilling good driving habits in them and helping them practice. Taking the necessary precautions not only helps to improve the safety of yourself, but of others around you as well.
Being in a car accident is one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever come out of. The crash happened on a seemingly regular April afternoon, the week of my high school's ACT, so I was already a little bit nervous about that. I was taking my friend to work like I had been for a few weeks around this time so I figured today wouldn’t be any different. I couldn’t have been more wrong on this day. After picking up some Chick Fil A down the road, we left with the food and we were about to go on a very busy road. To try to save time, I decided to cut through into the suicide lane, then it hits us. I couldn't see the truck coming until it was too late. When a truck comes barreling at you at 35 miles per hour and you're totally blindsided by the collision, nothing will invoke fear and a state of pure shock quite like that. The truck tore through the right side of the front bumper and spun the car in a 360 spin. What makes this moment stay with me is I was with my friend at the time of the collision, and the emotion that I felt after will stay with me for a very long time. Her voice, the screaming of sheer terror and fear as the car spun is etched in my mind like stone. I had never seen her in such a state, and I felt my heart pumping more than I can remember in any instance of my life. We were able to get out of the car with no visible injuries present. I had never felt guilt and shame like I felt in the moments after. I had almost got one of my best friends killed, a heavy feeling of guilt like no other. The stress after the initial crash blazed a trail all through my body, spreading like a sea of fire and forming its whirlpooling center on my rapidly beating heart. After the dust was settled and the car towed, I found it extremely difficult to think about anything else for days on end. When I saw her after the crash the following days she told me her neck was hurting and she had gotten a little whiplash from the crash, making my guilt of the incident multiply with the pain in my back from the crash. But this experience was one of the most powerful learning experiences I’ve been taught.
I learned through first hand experience the consequences of driving irresponsibly, and the damage and stress it can put people through. There are a variety of ways to become a safer driver out on the road. One of the best ways to become a safer driver is to practice defensive driving tactics. Being aware of road hazards and being prepared for anything on the road helps keep everyone on the road safer, not just the driver. Another way to practice safety while out driving is to ensure regular routine maintenance on your vehicle. Keeping track of the scheduled maintenance in your car's owners manual will help to keep your car in its best working order, and is also a good habit for any car owner to ensure they get the most out of their vehicle. Making a change in this field means more than changing your own bad habits though, it means trying to push your friends and family to change theirs as well. Effective ways to promote safer driving habits include practicing safe driving habits around others, potentially influencing others to do the same. An important way to get through to others is in how your language is phrased; think of the saying “It's not what you say, it’s how you say it”, from the psychologist Albert Mehrabian. Framing it more as a suggestion,rather than a judgemental criticism, will have others be more open to changing their driving habits. Promoting ideas of safer driving are the most important in the younger age groups, encouraging and rewarding good habits will reinforce them and build a solid foundation of good driving skills. Car accident statistics are a sad and ugly truth, and we all must work together to better not just ourselves, but others in hopes of reducing deaths caused behind the wheel.
Educating oneself on safe driving habits can not only help to decrease and forego unsafe driving habits, but also helps to keep drivers constantly aware and help develop consistent defensive driving skills to react accordingly to any situation while out on the road. Another factor to look at to help reduce road fatalities is looking into more ways to stop drivers from operating their vehicles while under the influence, potentially jeopardizing their judgment and risking the lives of others around them. In the year 2022 alone there consisted of “13,524 people killed in these preventable crashes.” (NHTSA). Ways to prevent people from drinking and driving range from designating a driver who is sober to drive, to calling a taxi or rideshare to get home as opposed to driving under the influence. We must also take into consideration different age groups and time on the road as well. For young adults, car accidents are the leading cause of death of teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. In the year 2020, “About 2,800 teens in the United States ages 13–19 were killed and about 227,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes” (CDC,2). Factors that play a role in the higher death tolls for teen drivers can be a lack of experience which can trickle down into potential difficulty in certain driving conditions, overconfidence leading to risk taking behaviors, and distracted driving like texting, are all factors in teen accidents. Parents of teens are a crucial part of decreasing teens' risk on the road by instilling good driving habits in them and helping them practice. Taking the necessary precautions not only helps to improve the safety of yourself, but of others around you as well.
Being in a car accident is one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever come out of. The crash happened on a seemingly regular April afternoon, the week of my high school's ACT, so I was already a little bit nervous about that. I was taking my friend to work like I had been for a few weeks around this time so I figured today wouldn’t be any different. I couldn’t have been more wrong on this day. After picking up some Chick Fil A down the road, we left with the food and we were about to go on a very busy road. To try to save time, I decided to cut through into the suicide lane, then it hits us. I couldn't see the truck coming until it was too late. When a truck comes barreling at you at 35 miles per hour and you're totally blindsided by the collision, nothing will invoke fear and a state of pure shock quite like that. The truck tore through the right side of the front bumper and spun the car in a 360 spin. What makes this moment stay with me is I was with my friend at the time of the collision, and the emotion that I felt after will stay with me for a very long time. Her voice, the screaming of sheer terror and fear as the car spun is etched in my mind like stone. I had never seen her in such a state, and I felt my heart pumping more than I can remember in any instance of my life. We were able to get out of the car with no visible injuries present. I had never felt guilt and shame like I felt in the moments after. I had almost got one of my best friends killed, a heavy feeling of guilt like no other. The stress after the initial crash blazed a trail all through my body, spreading like a sea of fire and forming its whirlpooling center on my rapidly beating heart. After the dust was settled and the car towed, I found it extremely difficult to think about anything else for days on end. When I saw her after the crash the following days she told me her neck was hurting and she had gotten a little whiplash from the crash, making my guilt of the incident multiply with the pain in my back from the crash. But this experience was one of the most powerful learning experiences I’ve been taught.
I learned through first hand experience the consequences of driving irresponsibly, and the damage and stress it can put people through. There are a variety of ways to become a safer driver out on the road. One of the best ways to become a safer driver is to practice defensive driving tactics. Being aware of road hazards and being prepared for anything on the road helps keep everyone on the road safer, not just the driver. Another way to practice safety while out driving is to ensure regular routine maintenance on your vehicle. Keeping track of the scheduled maintenance in your car's owners manual will help to keep your car in its best working order, and is also a good habit for any car owner to ensure they get the most out of their vehicle. Making a change in this field means more than changing your own bad habits though, it means trying to push your friends and family to change theirs as well. Effective ways to promote safer driving habits include practicing safe driving habits around others, potentially influencing others to do the same. An important way to get through to others is in how your language is phrased; think of the saying “It's not what you say, it’s how you say it”, from the psychologist Albert Mehrabian. Framing it more as a suggestion,rather than a judgemental criticism, will have others be more open to changing their driving habits. Promoting ideas of safer driving are the most important in the younger age groups, encouraging and rewarding good habits will reinforce them and build a solid foundation of good driving skills. Car accident statistics are a sad and ugly truth, and we all must work together to better not just ourselves, but others in hopes of reducing deaths caused behind the wheel.
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