A Second Can Cost A Life

Faith
Makumbi

A
Second Can Cost Your Life

Drivers ed is crucial
because people need to understand that their actions have
consequences. Drivers ed can help prepare you for dire
situations on the road. Most people do no have that ability to
foresee accidents before they even occur. They know little about road
rules and their own cars which can cause them to get tickets and
fines without even knowing why. This kind of knowledge can help
decrease the amount of deaths caused by car accidents. Another factor
is that people need to understand the responsibility that they have
as vehicle owners. A car has the ability to end your life and the
lives of others depending on how you drive. The biggest cause of car
accidents is people not slowing down. People do not have the patience
to wait. This causes collisions and hit-and-runs. I think a lot of
people do not understand the extent of power they hold when they
handle a steering wheel. One wrong move can cause a chain of
accidents so that is why it is crucial to always pay attention to the
road. An accident can happen in that one second you look down to
check your phone.
According to the World Health
Organisation, 1.25 million people die be cause of car elated
accidents. Teenagers have a higher rate of getting into an accident
than an adult. A lot of them believe they can act fast enough if
something happens, but that is simply not true. A car crash can
happen in less than two seconds. People are unpredictable so you are
never really safe. This brings up another point. People do not wear
their seatbelts. Some consider it unnecessary and nominal so they
choose to not wear it. A seatbelt can potentially save your life when
the time comes. A short drive to the store without a seatbelt can
turn into a messy crash ending with someone’s body thrown five feet
away from their car. A seatbelt can ensure the damage is minimized
and that if an accident were to happen the person would not be held
accountable for their injuries. My father tends to not wear a
seatbelt and drives recklessly when he is in a rush. I have seen him
speed on steep curves almost turning the car over. He tends to be
very impatient so he acts quickly rather than thoughtfully. I try to
remind him to be cautious and to be more patient before entering an
intersection. I think being patient is just one of the many steps to
take to become a better driver.
Driving is a skill that
requires learning and experience to get better. I try to use these
steps to improve my driving skills. I try to not tailgate. Tailgating
can cause a collision with the car in front of me and then cause a
chain of crashes. A trick I use is when I do not see the car’s
tires in front of me then I am too close. Before I go on a green
light, I wait a couples seconds to watch for red light runners.
Before I switch lanes, I look to make sure no cars are approaching. I
always use my signal whenever I am about to make a turn at least
thirty seconds in advance. I make sure to look in my mirrors and
blind spots. I try my best to not just look forward when driving and
to be aware of my surroundings to keep watch of pedestrians or
wondering cars. These are just a few of the steps I take to avoid an
accident. There are so many ways you can drive smart and safely. I
think everyone should apply these steps to their own driving. A car
is a privilege so we should learn to wisely make use of it.