Safe Driving – I Hardly Know Her!

In contemporary society, driving is not a want but a need. Our society is built with the driver in mind and not the pedestrian. So, we drive to get to school and work and often go with people we love. And we would like to think that we keep the people we love safe– but unfortunately this is not the reality of the situation. In the last year, over 30,000 people died from a car accidents in the United States alone. These deaths are all preventable.

I experienced an accident firsthand in my hometown, of Palm Beach, Florida (AKA the snowbird capital of the United States). I was driving home from cheering my best friend on at her swim meet. It was dark, and I was alone. I looked down for one second to switch the song that was playing. I did not see the car in front of me, painted black without a single light on, parked at a green light. So I rear-ended it to the tune of Matthew Koma’s hit single “One Night.” I was going 45 miles per hour. Before I had the chance t process what had happened, the airbags went off, the car filled up with smoke, I heard sirens, and my vision became tinted blue and red from the ambulance lights. I tried to open the car door, but it would not give, and I was stuck inside until the EMTs came and broke open my door for me. Walking into the ambulance, I did not see how lucky I was. Yes, I could no longer listen to Matthew Koma’s most impressive EDM hit with a full level of enthusiasm, but at least I was alive.

If I had not looked at my phone, the accident would have never happened. I would not have totaled my car, my stunning gunmetal gray Jetta with breathtaking two-tones seats. And while texting while driving is illegal in the states, people do it anyways. As a college student, I have been a passenger in countless vehicles where the driver had been texting. And while I think this is wrong, and usually say something, I am not naïve enough to believe that my words change the behaviors of the people I care about. The only way to protect ourselves and the people we love is to hold ourselves as invididuals accountable.While increasing our education as drivers is an individualistic approach to a systemic problem, we all need to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and be realistic about our capabilities. That means knowing when we cannot drive, not checking our phones on the road, and all-around holding ourselves to a higher standard to protect the other people on this planet.

Drivers education programs need to be strengthened to make sure that students can grow into experienced drivers that understand the full power behind operating a vehicle. Getting into an accident results in increased insurance rates, which may be difficult for any family to afford. Society must treat driving like the serious privilege and responsibility that it is, for the sake of humanity’s future. When we drive recklessly we are not only putting ourselves in danger, but everyone else who is on that road. There is a moral and ethical, if not legal, obligation for us as human beings to do everything in our power to protect the other people around us. New drivers need to do more than just understand this, they need to live by it.

More than being educated, we need to stand up when we see something wrong that happens. Once we are educated, we devoted too much time to understanding what is wrong and what is right, to ignore misgivings. If we see someone going on their phone while they are behind the wheel, it is up to us to say that that is not okay. We may have the privilege to sit idly by, but that does not give us the permission. If you value your life, if you value the lives of others walking this Earth, then you have the obligation to actively protect lives by being a safe driver, and educating yourself on appropriate behaviors, how to safely change lanes, and proper strategies for emergency situations. When we drive, we have to make choices, and as reality goes, these choices have consequences. That is why we must always have the right attitude to make the decisions that will protect ourselves and the people around us when we are on the road.