Educating and Saving One Life at a Time

It’s the end of a long work week, and you are tired and ready to go home. You hop into your vehicle, put on your seatbelt, and drive out of the parking lot. Only to suddenly see a truck crashing into you because you didn’t look both ways carefully enough. The window shatters, glass is stuck in your arm, and blood pours down you. You try to get out, but the door is jammed shut. You get 911 on the phone, full of adrenaline and head spinning. The paramedics and firefighters arrive within seven minutes, and they can’t get your door open either. They cover you with a thick jacket and tell you, “Remain calm. We are going to cut you out of your car.” The deep and loud hum of the jaws of life turns on, and you hear them rip off your door. The EMS team inspects you and gets most of the glass out and off your clothes before helping you onto your feet. Slowly walking you to the ambulance to get inspected more. Thankfully, you are not seriously injured. A few cuts, and mentally shaken up. Although the words they spoke to you ring in your ears when you think about that moment. “We do not know how you are not seriously injured; you should have died.”

That is precisely what happened to me. I should not have made it out of that wreck. I am thankful that the other people and I were not injured, but I was made fully aware that I should not have walked away. I was cut out with the jaws of life, and I walked away. I was lucky, unlike so many others. Many of my classmates, my friends, passed away in their vehicles due to wrecks. Out of respect for them and their families, I will not be sharing their names.

The first in high school was one of the best men I knew. He was a friend to everyone, had a heart filled with nothing but kindness, and all he ever wanted to do was to help those around him who were in need. He was a junior in high school and was on his way home one day during the winter. We do not know exactly what happened, but he ended up rolling his truck and was thrown through his windshield because he was not wearing a seat belt. The first responders on the scene said they found him standing, and then he collapsed. If he had been wearing a seat belt, he would probably still be alive today, sharing his kindness and smile with the world. Later that school year, another person in his class passed away due to her truck rolling and then colliding with a tree. She was also incredibly kind and sweet. The reports say she was texting while driving. She wasn’t paying attention. If she had not been texting and driving, she would be alive today.

A year later, two more high schoolers passed away due to an accident. This time, they were in my grade; we were juniors. Three great kids who were well-known in the town and were genuinely sweet people. They had gone to a party like normal teenagers living life and having fun, but they made the mistake of grabbing their keys. They were speeding while driving under the influence. They went down a hill, three boys in a truck, two in the cab, one in the bed. They lost control and hit a tree. One of the boys in the can immediately passed, and the other in the cab was alive until they got to the hospital. Reports say he was asking where and who he was while crying for help. The one in the bed of the truck survived with several broken bones but never fully recovered mentally and has a severe case of survivor’s guilt. If they had been drinking responsibly and never picked up their keys while under the influence, they would still be alive.

The first of my classmates to pass away, though, was when we were in sixth grade. It had been raining heavily the past few days, and the roads were unsafe to drive on. However, my classmate, my friend, had to go somewhere with her grandparents. They needed to cross the bridge just outside of town. The water was moving, but instead of turning around, her grandparents decided to go ahead and cross the bridge. They were swept away and tumbled off the bridge. They were unable to get out of the car. They drowned. My twelve-year-old friend drowned and passed away due to irresponsible driving. If they had made the correct decision to turn around, don’t drown, she would still be alive today.

When my high school class graduated, we had three empty chairs set off to the side of the rest of us. Two larger ones for the boys who had passed away the year earlier with their pictures set on them, and in between those two, a smaller chair for our friend who passed away in sixth grade. None of us were expecting that, but we all had shed tears as we passed the empty spots where our friends should have sat with us to graduate.

I know I am not the only one with stories of lost loved ones due to unsafe driving. This is why everyone should share their stories when they are ready to. Educate people with real stories, real pain, real life, and death scenarios so people can see your emotions. You can show all the stats and videos you want, but until you get a grieving mother, father, brother, sister, or friend telling the stories, it will not ever get through to most people. Start education young, too. Teach children to wear seatbelts, look both ways before crossing the road, and not be on their phones while driving. Set an example for your children.

Educating people about the risks of driving and how to be a safe driver is not a one-hundred percent guarantee that those people will never be in a car accident. At one point, everyone will be in one; it’s not a question of if but of when. Being taught and being aware of the dangers of driving can only help. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a study showed that teenagers taking a driver’s education course are less likely to violate any traffic laws or get into a crash for the first two years compared to those who do not take a course. The same study showed that teens who do not take any driver’s education courses are twenty-four percent more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident. In 2019, there were almost forty-two million teenagers in America. Twenty-four percent of forty-two million is about ten million. Thankfully, we do not lose that many people from fatal car crashes, but it is still a statistic worth considering when pondering the question of whether a driver’s education is worth it or not. Over the last three years, there has been an average of 114 fatal crashes a day. That adds up to 41,610 deaths per year.

Education is the way to help reduce these numbers. Start implementing driver’s education back into high schools and host seminars showing pictures and videos of actual fatal accidents at schools. Teach people to be aware of their surroundings, to wear their seat belts, to not be on their phones, and to know that in every vehicle on the road, there are lives in them. No one is invincible, and no one should think that they are. Be confident in your driving, but always be aware.

Everyone, including myself, can always become better drivers. Look out farther into traffic to know what is ahead of you, and look behind you regularly to know what is coming behind and around you. Be smart and patient if you are unsure if you have time to make an exit or turn. Wait for that turn or miss your exit and take the turn around. Your life and others are more important than being on time for work, school, or any event. Do not speed, do not tailgate, and use your turn signals. Use the safety features built into vehicles to keep yourself, your family, and others safer on the roads. Do not cross-moving water, do not drive under the influence or get in the car with anyone who is, do not be on your phone while driving, and always wear your seat belt.

Become a safer driver, educate those who have not been educated, and teach your children to be safe. You, as a parent, set those examples from the beginning. Help lower the number of deaths on our roads through education and example. Let us remember those who have passed, and let us not throw away their valuable lessons by never sharing their stories. Be the change in the world and help save lives.