A Mother, A Daughter, Beloved Serena

“You don’t just drive for yourself, you drive for those around you.” Words were drilled into my mind by my family, and the constant reminder of driving responsibly echoed in my mind. I drive safely for not just myself– but for the other people on the road with me. Ever since I was still enrolled in my driver’s training school, the consequences of distracted and reckless driving have echoed in my mind by teachers, peers, family, and coaches. The effects of careless driving were consistently featured in lessons, assessments, and tests during my time in driver training. Causing harm to anyone due to my irresponsibility behind the wheel would ruin me, destroy me even. Driving is a privilege that not everyone gets to experience, so I do my absolute best to be the best person that I can be behind the wheel of my automobile.

Earlier this year, a teammate of mine got into a car accident that ended with her car being totaled– leaving her without a car for months. The reason? Texting while driving. While speeding on an interstate to get to our AAU volleyball practice, she was in an argument with somebody on her phone, texting while speeding on the interstate. She lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the opposite wall of the interstate, ruining her car. Not only did her actions put her in fatal danger, but they put others in immediate danger as well. Thankfully she was not injured, and she didn’t cause harm to anyone else during this horrifying event. In her road test, they didn’t even allow her to drive on a freeway because of the rain during her test, passing her indefinitely. Almost a year ago, this same teammate was involved in another crash in the same car. This was again caused by speeding on the freeway, and not being aware of the person braking in front of her. More damage to her car. Finally, she received a ticket for speeding in a residential area, which can cause fatal harm to any children, pets, or anybody, in the area. These are matters that should not be taken lightly. Especially not taken as lightly as they made it seem. These accidents are not to be downplayed and dismissed, people’s lives are at stake. Reckless driving as just told can ultimately ruin lives and turn worlds upside down.

In May this year, my cousins were innocently driving to work in the morning on the interstate. Everything was going well, music playing, conversation flowing, and morning coffee in hand. Suddenly, a driver in front of them, another mother of two, got on to the wrong exit and then unsuspectingly rushed back into the far right lane from the freeway exit. This caused collateral damage to the three cars in the accident. Others survived the horrific crash with no fatal injuries, all except my beloved cousin Serena. After the forceful impact, Serena had a broken ankle, broken leg, and severe brain damage. She had to be rushed to the hospital immediately. This took a toll on my family. We were all in disbelief, our bonds had become stronger as we all hoped and prayed for the swift recovery of Serena. Upon her arrival at the hospital, she fell unconscious due to severe brain damage as a result of the crash. They had her in a medically induced coma, she was still clinging to life, fighting so incredibly hard. 3 weeks after the accident she passed due to internal bleeding from her brain. Serena was a joy to be around and always knew how to put a smile on people’s faces. An innocent life was lost because of reckless driving. My family lost a star.

In Michigan, it is required to take two segments of driver education/training and pass those two exams from each segment. This is to prevent irresponsible drivers from being on the road and causing irreversible damage to families traveling by car. In the state of Mississippi, there is no requirement for driver’s education. A close friend Mississippi has his license but did not take a driver’s education course and hasn’t even been on a freeway before. This is a major hazard for the drivers on the road beside him. A lack of preparation and experience is a threat to those around. It should be a requirement in all fifty states, to put all new and aspiring drivers through extensive driver training, and uphold the same standards to everybody who wants to drive independently. Taking this step will keep mothers and their children safe, if they do not meet those standards then it is a clear and definite sign because you don’t just drive for yourself, you drive for those around you.