The Center for Disease Control ranks vehicle accidents as one of the top three causes of death. That’s more than any chronic disease in the country! OSHA calculates that up to 30 percent of traffic accidents occur due to distracted driving. Not to mention the traffic congestion that happens when people slow down to see how bad the accident is. Is anyone dead? Can you see anything? What happened?! That behavior itself causes other fender benders.

What if student drivers used driving simulators to help them learn to drive before ever getting on the road? Or if companies would teach their drivers how to get a CDL to drive big trucks on simulators? Doesn’t that sound like a very good way to help in the prevention of some of these accidents? In addition, many driver education schools could save fuel and achieve to better safety percentages by doing this.

These simulators have steering wheels, gas, brake, and clutch pedals and large monitors to imitate driving on the open road. It can also take away some of the fear a new driver may have. They can practice over and over to improve the areas they are not strong in. Companies would do well to invest in using these simulators to teach new employees good safety practices. Even well experienced drivers need some reminders every now and again.

With car companies now attempting to introduce driverless vehicles into the mix, it seems any driver would want to be at the top of their game when it comes to driving! Our country is abundant when it comes to the number of commuters on the road each day, and we should take responsibility for our safety and the safety of others with whom we share the road.