Car accidents have cost lives since the automobile was invented, but recently the consequences of unsafe driving have been hitting Tyler Junior College students close to home. Automobiles are huge weapons and, if operated carelessly, they will lead to drastic consequences.
Driving aggressively and wanting to cause harm to other drivers is a huge factor for wrecks and highway accidents. According to NHTSA.gov, aggressive driving occurs when “an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.” Aggressive driving happens when a short-tempered person gets angered by other drivers on the road and then transforms their anger into unsafe driving.
This is a deadly combination of carelessness and aggressiveness. By taking into account that an automobile is 2,000 pounds of deadly steel and like putting a gun into the hands of a crazed maniac, putting an angry person behind the wheel of an automobile is a deadly combination. Students need to think with their heads instead of their emotions and realize that driving is not a time to start a fight.
Distracted driving can be as fatal as aggressive driving, and it’s a serious problem with students.
When a student is doing something while driving, it takes their attention away from driving and this can lead to car accidents.
Operating a vehicle is a mechanical process that involves a lot of concentration and attention. If a student is texting, putting on makeup or even talking while driving their mind is not fully targeted on operating the car and mistakes are more likely to occur. It’s just not worth putting lives at risk to answer a text message while driving. Driving is for transportation, not for Facebooking.
Not everyone can help what others are doing on the road, so the best thing for students to keep in mind is to drive defensively. The best safety precautions one can take while driving is to watch the other drivers and take the correct steps to avoid accidents.
This just means to keep eyes open to the way others are driving, use the correct signals, follow the laws of driving like with speed limit and stop signs, and always wear a safety belt. Following the laws of the road is the safest choice while on the blacktop.
Students just need to remember how much power a person has while operating an automobile and with that power comes many responsibilities. Everyone else’s lives are in each driver’s hand.
