Defensive Driving Statistics That Will Blow Your Mind
Numbers never lie. And they are certainly the source of the most reliable information. While many people talk about the dangers on the road and the importance of a defensive driving course, the moral of the long-winded talk may be drowned under the sheer lack of context or proof. This is where we come in.
[comedytrafficschool]—your friendly, neighborhood confirmer of bad news.
In this post, we will state and discuss the statistics related to both driving and defensive driving.
Why is It Important to Revisit the Dangers of Driving?
To answer it simply—because we create our comfort shells too quickly. We forget that driving is dangerous when we’re not concentrating properly on the road, or if we fancy ourselves the protagonist in an action movie.
To put things into perspective, let’s review the top three causes of death (yes, we’re a little morbid).
According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), motor vehicle accidents consistently rank the highest as the cause of death for most age groups.
Now, if you suffer from the optimism bias and think, “Oh, I’m never going to make that statistic,” well, guess what? Two out of every three motorists will incur an injury during their life, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Look at the numbers again. 2 out of every 3.
And here is a handy pie chart to drive the point home.
To reinforce the direness of the situation, you can be expected to be involved in an injury once in every decade, simply because you drive. Why? Because others are driving, too. And that is a statistic that we forget often—that there are other drivers that we can’t control, increasing the potential of accidents.
So, what can we do?
Defensive Driving—Your Aide to Safety on the Road
Yes, the roads are becoming safer, vehicles are being designed to offer maximum safety on the road, and many people are starting to become aware of the dangers involved due to the many awareness campaigns. But there is no other program that inculcates a safer driving model than defensive driving.
Your typical defensive driving course will decrease the risk of fatality to up to 50%, which, to us, is a pretty solid number.
And considering that, every year in the US, car accidents cause:
- 30,000 deaths
- 20,000 incapacitations/severe injuries
- 2 million injuries
If you don’t want to be a part of this statistic, enroll in a defensive driving school. And yes, many people may find it boring to sit through a class, so you have another option—taking the online defensive driving class! You will be able to learn at your convenience and will become a more responsible driver.
Cheers!
