Just Another Statistic

The screeching of tires and the splintering noise of shattering glass is not a sound that a driver wants to hear. Getting in a car wreck is scary. That much is clear. One moment you are cruising down the road, the next you are coming to a grinding (and usually painful) halt. It is being in full control, and then within a blink of an eye everything slipping out of your grasp. I know this because I have experienced it firsthand.

On a foggy January morning, I was headed eastbound on Highway 54. My goal was to turn left off of the divided highway, but I failed miserably. A semi-truck was headed west, and they too were trying to turn left. I looked to see if it was safe to turn, which I thought it was, but little did I know how wrong I was. The stopped semi-truck and dense fog were blocking my vision just enough that I did not see a truck speeding toward me at about 60 mph. My seven-seater GMC Envoy was totaled in seconds.

Before my car accident I was a trophy-child driver. I never got a speeding ticket. I never received any sort of driving citation and absolutely no texting while driving. My hands were always at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel. Luckily, I was able to walk away from this wreck with only a broken rib.

Sadly, for some, they are not as lucky as I was. They don’t walk away. According to dmvedu.org, an average of 34,000 people die each year from driving. A fatal car accident near my house happened not too long after my car accident. It was the same scenario I was in, except the driver was a boy a year younger than me and the wreck happened three miles west of where my accident was. Instead of an average pickup truck hitting him it was a semi-truck going 70 mph. Instead of a broken rib, he broke his spine and died. I wonder if he knew he was supposed to yield. I wonder if anybody taught him that in that scenario he was supposed to safely back up and let the semi-truck go first. This is what I had to learn the hard way. This is why driver’s education is so vitally important. What you do not know can cost you your life. Likewise, what you do know can save your life. A driver’s education plays a pivotal role in a driver’s ability to safely navigate the roads.

Like all car accidents, they can be avoided. I believe that there are steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. When scrolling through social media I have never seen a post or ad about distracted/dangerous driving. Why is that, when according to a recent survey by University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, 90% of teens use social media? I believe government resources should be funneled to sharing statistics. They should be advertising about the dangers of driving. Consistent reminders that driving is not a right, but a privilege that holds responsibility, would be beneficial for teen drivers.

Since this takes time to implement, easy concrete steps can be taken beforehand. When you find yourself distracted while driving it is helpful to reset and refocus. That can look like safely pulling over and getting rid of the distraction, or simply just recentering your attention. For example, if your phone keeps going off, the simple solution would be to shut it off. If I notice I am not paying close enough attention I reset my mentality. This just means I work to shut off all distractions and completely focus on driving. Other ways we can work to be safer drivers is to plan well beforehand. Eat, do your make-up and hair in advance so that nothing will distract you while driving. Get in the habit of always leaving early. As soon as you get in the car adjust your air conditioning, music, and shut off your phone. This helps immensely in reducing disruptions.

Another aspect of driving that needs to be addressed is driving safely. Many times, when I am on the road, I have seen people racing or driving dangerously. While I have no control over other drivers, I have control over my reactions. Working on driving defensively and not letting emotions get in the way helps enormously.

Overall, there needs to be a change in the number of deaths caused by car accidents. With the death toll only increasing, distractions need to be limited. Preparing both physically and mentally well beforehand is key to a successful and safe drive, as is defensive, unemotional driving. It is easy to think of statistics as only happening to “other” people. Sadly, this is not true. Somebody’s mom, a friend’s uncle, a cousin, a classmate, or even you can become just another statistic added to the other 34,000 who have died due to driving annually. Don’t be that person, drive safely.