Your Choices on the Road Can Save Lives.

Unless you have experienced, witnessed, or personally know someone who has

been involved in a car accident, you may not think too much about traffic safety. Every

single day millions of Americans get in their vehicles to casually drive to work, to the

store, to school, etc. And every single day “More than 90 people die in car accidents

every day and about 3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year in car accidents.”

(Car Accident Statistics in the U.S)​ This is an issue that may never be resolved, but if we

educate ourselves and make the decision to drive safe and efficient, then we can reduce

the number of lives taken and injuries caused by car accidents.

If you can choose to save a life, would you? The actions you choose to make while

driving can be life-threatening. If we all decided to change poor driving behaviors we

can prevent accidents from happening. The number one cause of traffic accidents all

around is distracted driving. This is a small mistake that can and will cause an accident.

Driving is an activity that requires full attention. Any distractions in the car can be fatal.

The three types of distracted driving are cognitive, manual, and visual.

1) Cognitive​, or mental distraction is when the driver's mind isn't focused on

driving. Examples can be but are not limited to: talking to another passenger,

being preoccupied with personal issues, listening to a podcast or even your

favorite music.
 2) Manual​ distraction is when the driver takes one or both hands off the wheel for

any reason. Some common examples include eating, drinking, adjusting your

mirror, or grabbing something from another seat, purse, wallet, etc.

3) Visua​l distraction occurs when a driver looks away from the road at any time.

The biggest visual distraction is electronic devices such as GPS and cell phones.

Other examples include staring at other accidents on the road, doing your

make-up, or looking at your passengers.

While it may seem impossible to not worry about personal issues, listen to your

favorite music, and to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, I encourage you to try

your best to focus directly on the road and drop any distraction until you have parked

your car. Here are some tips to help you keep your mind focused on the road:

1) Turn down your music to a lower level so it is less distracting.

2) Limit the need to reach for anything.

3) Keep your mind focused on your driving and the cars around you.

Distracted driving may be the number one cause of traffic accidents but cell

phone use is the number one cause of distracted driving. “At any given moment during

the daylight hours, more than 800,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a

hand-held cell phone.” ​(NCSL)​ You do not need your phone while you are driving. If you

have an emergency pull over and make sure your car is parked before even reaching for
your phone. Facebook, texting, and calls can wait, whatever is on your phone will be

there when you get to your destination.

Another leading cause of accidents on the road is driving under the influence.

Whether it’s alcohol, medication, or drugs you should not be driving if you have

consumed either. Driving under the influence is very dangerous for yourself and

everyone on the road around you. Not to mention driving under the influence is

“classified as a misdemeanor in all states, and punishable by up to six months in jail.

That jail time may be increased under certain circumstances. In addition to jail

sentences, courts can and do impose high fines or DUI or DWI. These range from $500

to as much as $2,000.” ​(NOLO)​ Do not take any chances, if you need a ride call a friend,

take a cab, take Trax, take a bus, or use Uber or Lyft. Do not drive under the influence.

A huge issue that not many people think about is drowsy driving. “According to

the National Sleep Foundation, about half of U.S. adult drivers admit to consistently

getting behind the wheel while feeling drowsy. About 20% admit to falling asleep behind

the wheel at some point in the past year – with more than 40% admitting this has

happened at least once in their driving careers.” ​(NSC)​ Drowsy driving is also very

dangerous and most people have done it at least once in their lives. If you are feeling

drowsy while driving, find a place to pull over and park for a little while, rest your eyes

until you feel awake enough to drive again. Don’t put yourself and others at risk because

you can’t keep your eyes open and on the road.

 Obey traffic laws. They are there for a reason, to keep everyone safe. Another

leading cause of accidents is reckless driving. This could be speeding, swerving,

tailgating, failure to stop, driving too slow, failure to yield, careless driving and many

more. Watch for traffic signs on the road. Traffic signs will help guide you to the rules of

the road and will keep you and others safe. Keep an eye out for speed limit signs, stop

signs, toll signs, wrong-way signs, etc. Obeying traffic laws keeps you safe and out of

trouble.

Maintain your speed. Speeding is the number one cause of reckless driving and

the most violated traffic law. “Speeding was a factor in 26% of all traffic fatalities in

2018, killing 9,378, or an average of over 25 people per day. The total number of fatal

motor-vehicle crashes attributable to speeding was 8,447.” ​(NSC)​ Don’t drive over the

speed limit, as speeding won’t get you anywhere much faster, it puts your life at risk, and

you can get fined for it.

Last but certainly not least, wear your seatbelt. As much as you can do yourself to

reduce the chances of a car accident, you cannot control other people. There is always a

chance someone out there is not paying attention and crashes into you. So wear your

seat belt because it does protect you. “Statistics show that seat belts save lives. When

used correctly, wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger

car occupants by 45%, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. An estimated

14,955 lives were saved by seat belts nationwide in 2017” ​(Edgar Snyder Associates)

In order to reduce traffic accidents, we need to educate ourselves, control

ourselves, focus and obey the laws. The more people who can change their actions on
the road, the fewer accidents we will endure. Imagine a world where everyone followed

traffic rules and got rid of distractions while driving, it would be a safer place and we

would stop losing our loved ones due to these little driving mistakes.
Addition Information From:

Esurance an Allstate Company. “​3 Types of Distracted Driving.”

https://www.esurance.com/info/car/3-types-of-distracted-driving

Axle Addict.​ “Avoid the 9 Most Commonly Broken Driving Laws.”​ (2019)

https://axleaddict.com/safety/The-Most-Commonly-Broken-Driving-Laws