# of Words: 417

Drivers, battling with rush hour each morning, could be shocked to hear that despite the growing number of vehicles on the road, car crash figures show a decrease in accidents and fatalities. While a decreasing tendency may bring a small peace of mind to motorists, the number of annual accidents remains greater than it should be.

The figures change, however, driving behaviors remain problematic. A car accident attorney explains it nicely, "Car crash statistics show the sad reality that many families suffer from preventable injuries or even deaths. When drivers are simply not careful enough behind the wheel." With the number of commuters at all-time large, within the last 10-20 years, driving customs have to continue to evolve when we want to continue to see a decreasing trend in car accidents.

A Closer Look in Statistics. According to Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the national tendency regarding fatal car accidents has decreased considerably between the years 2001-2011. Though the there was a slight increase approximately at the five year mark, the number of fatalities continued to drop after the halfway mark. Year and Fatalities are as followed.2001: 38, 491, 2002: 38, 491, 2003: 38, 477, 2004: 38, 444, 2005: 39, 252, 2006: 38, 648, 2007: 37, 435, 2008: 34, 172, 2009: 30, 862, 2010: 30, 296, 2011: 29, 757. Seat Belts: To many of us, not wearing a seat belt in a vehicle is like, well, maybe not wearing a seat belt in an automobile! Many of us were raised to buckle it up was ingrained in our brains by the Crash Test Dummy Duo.

In a report published by the CDC, approximately half of all auto crash fatalities could have been prevented if the driver or passenger would have worn a seat belt. Many nations have the "Click or Ticket" coverage, but many drivers might not understand the significance of a seat belt until all states make it a primary law and hopefully not before it is too late. Drivers and their driving habits are in need of change also while lawmakers are attempting to make our roadways a more secure location, drivers will need to initiate change. Adult drivers should be good role models for budding, young drivers.

Young drivers must view driving as a privilege, not a social event. The next time you get behind the wheel, then honestly assess your own driving behaviors. Do you wear a seat belt? Do you flip over the keys when you've had alcohol? Do you maintain your phone from reach and distractions to a minimum? As you cannot alter the way that others push, a change could start with you. Help to keep accident fatalities at an all-time reduced.

Related Papers

An Introduction to the Issue of Texting and Driving

As of January 1 this year it has a mass return to listening to our own radio stations inside our automobiles. Our government passed a law prohibiting the usage of hand-held devices while driving. That's right, we have our own cell phone ban. It turns out though that most of us in BC will have an one-month grace period until police officers issue tickets. I guess the one-month grace period is designed to give us 30 days to put into practice the art of driving without being on the phone. It......Read More

The Negative Consequences of Texting and Driving

Text messaging was intended for fast exchange of information presumably. For messages which require keywords, the brief messaging systems are supposed to be preferred. If you are in a public place, for example, it's better for individuals to send text messages which speak aloud and make others hear about their conversation. It has its own advantages, sadly, there are negative results. There has been many movement, celebrities, TV shows and advertising campaigns raising the consciousness about......Read More

Texting While Driving: Texting to Death

People do not realize that driving is something which needs complete concentration and is something that can't be trifled with. They do not realize that however good think they have been in sending text messages fast believe they are, they need to not play around while at the wheel since even a momentary lack of concentration may have horrendous consequences. Ever since texting while driving deaths have been on the increase lawmakers have been forced to introduce penalties for those guilty of......Read More

Related Topics