Flatline

Beep.

Breathe in.

Beep.

Breathe out.

Beep.

“Patient was not wearing a seatbelt.”

Beep. Beep. —

A life ended.

A flatline in a young girl or boy following a car accident. A collision on the road on a Friday night following a football game. Teenagers are packed into a car, six of them when it should only be five. They all neglect their seatbelts and set on their way. None of them had imagined that the drive would be their last.

The idea of being behind the wheel is one that exhilarates so many teenagers around the world. Their first chance at freedom, their opportunity to be on their own. However, there are all too many cases where their life ends alone and on the road. These lives could be saved by some education, attention, and change of perspective.

Stepping onto a plane scares many when what should really scare them is stepping into a car with their friend. It is a minimum requirement to have a permit for a year before you drive in the state of Florida when you are under 18. It is also required that you get practice hours on the road. However the permit test is done online and on the honor system. There is no way to ensure that someone did not cheat on their exam, did not practice their hours, did not lie. This starts some individuals’ driving journey for the worst. This transitions into their ability to oblige to the rules of the road. Will they come to a full stop when needed and will they follow the speed limit at all times? No. Driving begins with honesty and without it there is only destruction. The road is likely the most dangerous place a person will find themselves on and nearly everyone does it multiple times a day. It is not difficult to remain safe, it is all a matter of whether or not a person cares about their life. Or if a person cares about the people around them’s lives.

Putting on a seat belt and putting down a phone can make all the difference. Kids need real explanations, real examples, and real consequences for reckless driving. I’ve witnessed one of my friends rear end the other at a stop sign on a high speed road. All because of distracted driving, both cars were completely wrecked. Another friend was sent on a quick errand to the store and crashed their car, due to cell phone use in the car.

These are accidents that happen all over the world. Every day there are car accidents everywhere. Constantly seeing crosses or jerseys or flowers on the side of the road is devastating. Some spend their entire lives fearful of the road while others rush to it. Both situations are more dangerous than one may think.

Everyone knows that rushing to the road is bad but what about overly cautious drivers? Hesitating over whether to hit the gas or break and on if they should stop or rush is just as bad. That puts themselves at more risk than anything else. Every driver should be required to partake in a driver’s education course before they have any chance to hit the gas alone.

I find that nearly everyone I know that drives has either been in an accident or hit something that they did not find too serious. However, there is only one real way to actually hit a mailbox. Hitting an object that does not move does not mean it was difficult driving or you had to really concentrate on things. The only explanation is carelessness. Simply not looking at the road. It may be a distracting phone, a distracting conversation, or a distracting mirror. The bottom line is losing focus on the road makes all the difference between whether or not you have the chance to drive your car again. It determines whether or not you will be alive to drive a car ever again. Sure, a mailbox is not too serious but what if it is another person, another car, or even a building.

Things like this can be avoided by using simple systems when you get in the car the same way that I do. I place my phone on a holder in the car with a speed checker in order to ensure I do not use it and stay within speed limits. Learning to be a good defensive driver is something that needs to be taught to any driver. Driving needs to be safe, secure, and sober.

Because nobody wants..

Beep —