Avoiding Driving Disaster

A sharp image comes to mind when I think about safe driving and saving lives. It is the shrill of devastation and heartbreak, piercing like angular waves through the room. A sister who can no longer hold herself up. The pain has become a heavy weight unbearably sitting on her soul. They had just played her sister’s favorite song in memory of her passing. Her sister lost her life after the driver of the car in which she was riding fell asleep behind the wheel and ran off the road, slamming into a tree. Her arms are lifted as she is carried out the doors of the church. That was the portrayal of an indescribable feeling that would be ingrained in the memories of all who were present.

There are nearly 43,000 fatal car crashes a year in this country. Many of them could have been prevented by drivers adhering to the instructions of driver education and applying those instructions to their everyday operation of a vehicle. To me, driver education is imperative for everyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle. The class instruction, the behind the wheel hands on experience and guidance of a professional, the exams created to test our knowledge and skills of safely operating a vehicle, these are not to be taken for granted. Understanding what a pedestrian sign looks like can prevent one from striking and killing a walker who has the right of way. Knowing what a no-passing sign looks like can prevent a head-on collision should one attempt to pass a car driving at a slower rate of speed. Roundabouts are designed to keep traffic moving smoothly but lack of knowledge can result in fatal accidents that could have been avoided. When we understand that driver education is not another boring class for 15-year-olds desiring their driving permits but a key component to obtaining a freedom that is a privilege and not a right, we will learn to value it for the precious resource that it is.

There are many steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. First and foremost, drivers have to change the selfish view that they are the most important individual on the road. Everyone has a family to get home to, a workspace that is waiting for their arrival, a doctor’s appointment, a sick child to pick up from school. We all have a place to go. And we all want to get there safely. Understand that a red light is not an option and if you are already late, what is a few more minutes if it may save someone’s life? Stop texting while driving. Stop applying makeup while driving. Stop balancing your chicken nuggets in one hand and your dipping sauce in the other while driving. Tether your pet to a clip in the backseat or better yet, place them in their crates while traveling. If we consider our pets families, why put them and others at risk by getting distracted by them? If your drink spills, pull over; if your cell phone falls under the chair, pull over; if your purse tumbles, spilling all of its content, pull over; if the baby’s crying and causing a distraction, pull over; if you’re feeling tired or sleepy, please, for the love of all things precious, pull over. A few seconds of distraction are all that is needed to cause an unintended fatal crash that you or others will have to live with for the rest of your lives.

I have seen many a friend and family member drive irresponsibly. My examples above are real life experiences. The last one hits home the hardest. It is irreversible. Having only pictures and fading memories are what some are left with. Because of this, I make every effort to be the safest driver I can be. I slow down at yellow lights instead of speeding up to get through them. I call my parents before I start the car to let them know I am heading home from school, from a game or a friend’s house. I look both ways twice at a stop sign before proceeding through the intersection. I limit the number of passengers in my vehicle to keep distraction at a minimum. I admit that I do listen to my playlist while driving but the volume is not obnoxiously loud.

In conclusion, we all can grow and become better drivers. We must heed the education that was afforded us before we received our permits and licenses. Understand that driving is a privilege that comes with great responsibility. Eliminate the selfish view that our needs are more important than those of the drivers around us. Be gracious and patient. Understand that nothing is more important that staying focused on the road ahead of us – no text, no glam session, no food. Stay alert and pull over when you feel tiredness or heaviness upon you. When we strive to do these things, we will make the roads much safer for us and for the generations to come.