Many of us can’t imagine life without cars. Whether it’s for the school run, the journey to work, or for taking long road trips through the country, driving is one of the pillars of modern society.
Despite this, we all know that driving can be risky for a number of reasons. Just how dangerous is it really? We’ve put together this piece to expand on the dangers of driving and give a brief history of automobile safety.
In this article:
1. What are the Risks of Driving?
1 What are the Risks of Driving?
When it comes to the road, the biggest risk is reckless driving in all of its forms. Deaths from car collisions in the USA hit a 16-year high in 2021, with 42,915 people killed in accidents in that year alone, so it’s clear that this issue is still on the rise.
WebMD identified the following primary risks associated with driving:
- Multitasking: While it is firmly illegal in Canada and in many states of the US to text and drive at the same time, this is still the cause of many accidents that occur on the road. When texting or multitasking while driving in general, you’re not fully focused on the road, which can lead to dangerous and even fatal errors.
- Road Rage: Sitting in traffic, being stuck behind a slowpoke, or even just being in a bad mood can have intensely negative effects on the quality of your driving. When you allow rage and anger to cloud your judgment, there’s no telling what might happen, so it’s vital to be self-aware, recognize your feelings, and adjust your behavior before you cause an accident.
- Foolish Driving: You can legally drive from the age of 16 in the US and Canada, which is a factor that likely contributes to foolish driving on the roads. However, other drivers who aren’t as young and inexperienced also drive foolishly while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In fact, DUI incidents in Canada alone result in 63,000 injuries each year.
2 Driving Safety: History
Although drunk driving has been considered an offense in the USA since 1906, it took a long time before the safety measures we know and take for granted were put into practice. The first airbags and seat belts only started showing up in the 1950s, while it took until 1989 and 1998, respectively, for either of them to become mandatory by law.
Over the years, more and more safety features have been added to cars, but many are still optional and not used by all drivers.
3 Driving Safety: Future
Some see the future of safety on the roads taking the form of driverless cars, but, as we have discussed on our blog, these will not become the norm for some time. Until then, all we can say is “stay alert, check your mirrors, and drive safe”. Happy driving.
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