In the United States, there are around 3 million car related injuries in one year due to drinking, speeding, and cars going off-road. There are 2 millions fatalities and 40,000 thousand deaths. Forty percent of fatalities are related to irresponsible driving—such as not using seat belts or using electronic devices (Graham-Rowe), thirty percent for speeding, and thirty-three percent for defective cars. Even though the use of seat belts is the law in the United States, only sixty-eight percent of drivers and riders use them. In order for the United States to decrease the number of fatalities due to car accidents, drivers need to focus, seat belts must be worn, and no one should drive intoxicated. Also, the driver must be aware of the rules of the road, and take proper care of his/her vehicle.
Driving intoxicated is not only illegal, but completely preventable (Rolison and Scherman). Alcohol-impaired driving is a serious national problem that unfortunately affects many victims yearly. Often, people believe they feel well enough to drive after drinking only a small amount of alcohol. Although, one should be careful not to drive even if they slightly intoxicated. A slight intoxication can reduce one’s response time to maneuver a vehicle. For example, alcohol causes the body to relax and sometimes can blur one’s vision. While in a car, it takes longer for some intoxicated drivers to slow down or to see what cars and obstacles may be in front, behind, or on either side of them.
Seat belts are designed to reduce injuries by stopping the driver/rider from hitting hard elements inside of the vehicle (Car Safety for your Child). By not wearing a seat belt, one is also putting their self at harms risk. The leading cause of death for people less than 35 years of age is not wearing seat belts. In some cases, most people do not wear seat belts because of the distance being traveled from their home to a destination. If the destination is a few blocks down or ten minutes away, some drivers/riders feel that a seat belt is not needed. In contrary, more deaths due to car accidents occur within 25 miles of the home under 40 miles per hour. Plainly, if more people use seat belts, fewer accidents will be accounted for.
Knowing the rules of the road and the dependency of one’s own car are the basic foundations of driving. To avoid accidents, drivers must know how to drive and when to drive. A major cause of car accidents is a lack of understanding of signs and the dependency level of cars (David Larabee). For example, a car can turn right into traffic if the driver sees no oncoming cars. But if they don’t realize what the sign “no right turn on red” means, they probability of getting hit escalates. Also, cars need to be checked for examination every so often. The purpose for the inspections of brakes and oil changes are to keep cars running safely. As a result, if more people bring their cars in for inspections, the less number of accidents will occur.
By not driving intoxicated, paying attention to the road, and routine car inspections, many injuries, including deaths can be avoided. Also, driving is a privilege, it is not a right. Therefore, it should not be handled lightly—lives are at risk. Car accidents can be avoided if the proper precaution is taken.
Works Cited
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Larabee, David. "Car collisions, physics, and the state highway patrol." The Physics Teacher
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Rolison, Mary R., and Avraham Scherman. "Factors influencing adolescents' decisions to engage
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