We all find ourselves using the car horn more than we should nowadays while being behind the wheel.
Statistically, there are around three-thousand deaths every single day from automobile accidents and that number continues to increase day-by-day. There are a variety of reasons why these automobiles accidents occur. And unfortunately, when we are behind the wheel, all we have control of is our own driving. As humans, we think that we need to race to our next destination and that's only going to cause more uproar on the roads. Take your time and enjoy the ride! Here are the top three things you should be aware of while/before you get behind the wheel.
Calling/texting while driving
We all have experienced driving in the car and receiving a text or phone call. When we hear the noise of a text message, we automatically look down, which takes our eyes off of the road. Then, we are so eager that we feel the need to respond right away. Just those few seconds of looking down at your phone to read that text message are the sound of a crash. The majority of crashes especially with teens come from texting and driving.
Take the time to disengage and turn your phone on do not disturb so you do not have the temptation to look down. Thankfully several car manufacturers are starting to build Bluetooth systems into all of the new automobiles so people can talk on the phone while being "hands-free." And remember, just because you are at a red light doesn't mean you can be looking down at your phone! Always beware.
Pedestrians/bikers
One thing that we all forget to be aware of is pedestrians and bikers. We need to be more aware of people crossing the road and bikers traveling on the road. Granted, yes some individuals do not follow the correct traffic guidelines and cross the road when the "walk sign" is not on and some bikers do the same, but drivers do the same thing! To make a change, we have to start somewhere and it can start with the drivers.
This is also becoming a huge problem today with children getting on the bus in the morning and drivers not abiding by the stop sign hands on the bus. Some children get themselves on the bus every morning and we need to continue to create safe transportation for kids to-and-from school and if we can just pay attention to the road, we can easily make the roads much safer.
Reckless driving
Every day, we all experience individuals behind the wheel that are raging on the highway going one-hundred mph and riding really close behind other cars.
Road rage is something that is extremely scary and not something to mess with. Yes, there are drivers that will flash you to signal for you to "get over" or flick you off while driving because you are "not driving how they want you to." The best thing to do is continue looking forward, don't look over at them, but constantly be aware of what is going on the road and what they are doing, that way you can hopefully prevent an accident from occurring.
A lot of times when we see reckless driving, we also see individuals under the influence. We need to be more aware of drivers under the influence, especially when driving at night. If you see someone on the road that you think is driving out of control and could put someone else's life in danger, make that call to 911. Chances are, you saved someone's life for the day!
