Awareness is Key

With my busy lifestyle, I take to the roads multiple times a day for an average driving time of 2 hours. I encounter many different situations. From getting cut off, almost rear-ended by pick-up trucks going 120mph on the highway, people running red lights and almost t-boning me, and someone almost hit me head on the other day because they were driving on my side of the road straight towards me. The only way for me to stay safe on the road is to be sure that I am following the rules of the road, driving defensively, and watching out for others’ mistakes.

I took Driver Education online during the COVID-19 lockdown Era. I have always been independent in getting my work in or taking control. So, the anticipation of having the freedom to drive myself was exciting. I worked very attentively and was interested in learning the rules of the road; doing that helps me now that I can apply these rules, such as the four-way stop. If I were to have a survey done on drivers at my school and have scenarios on who “would go first at a four-way stop”, I would guess that many students would get at least one wrong. When learning the rules of the road, many of my peers saw it as a chore or another assignment to get done. So, they would press play on the videos and then play games on their phones. In the classroom setting, many students speak to their friends the whole time and don’t take the class seriously.

The few videos that stuck with me were the ones that used fear tactics to deter behavior, such as the speeding video of the girl’s soccer team. The team was out for a fun time, and suddenly, a bump sent them flying, and a few of them didn’t make it. And the video that retains the girl who ended up tangled on an electrical line. When driving unsafely, some people don’t understand the potential risks. The more people that we can be sure know the rules of the road and the risk they are taking for themselves and others, I would hope that fewer accidents would occur and in return, fewer deaths.

A few more ways that I believe the fatality on the roads could be reduced, is if bars were more strict or had an employee that makes sure someone who had alcohol has a ride that is not themselves. Too many people and families fall victim to a reckless drunk driver causing an accident. Another idea is an app that is automatically downloaded on phones. So, when you’re moving over 15mph, it’ll trigger the app, and make sure that you’re not the driver to deter using phones while driving. Overall, a reminder every few years for drivers about the risks could decrease reckless operations. Distracted and reckless driving is extremely dangerous, and horror stories can knock those realities into some people.

Car accidents hit close to home in my life. Before I was born, I had a sister, and a month before her 3rd birthday. She was pronounced brain dead at the hospital after the collision between a bus and my mom’s car. It was icy out and the bus was in the wrong lane. The road conditions didn’t allow my mom to get out of the way safely, so the collision took the life of a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin. She was robbed of living an amazing life that day, and I was robbed of getting to know someone who would’ve been a huge part of my life. I’ve been in 3 accidents, two does, and one with a semi-truck. All of these occurred when I was in elementary school. The collision with the semi-truck happened when I was in 5th grade and on my way to school. The semi-truck driver was tired and not in a position where he should have been driving. My dad’s Toyota Camry was between two semi-trucks, and the third one was trying to move into our lane behind us. He miscalculated and hit the back left corner of the car, and we went spinning. How no one was seriously hurt, and no other vehicles were involved when this happened? I have no idea. What I do know is that we got lucky that day. Other than my little brother hitting his head on the window, no one was hurt, but the car was totaled. The police drove us to school. My brother and I got there only about 20 minutes late. After that day being the 3rd accident I was physically involved in, I told myself that was enough.

Every time I start my car, I am sure to be in the right headspace to drive and drive carefully, not just for myself and my family. But for everyone else on the road. I operate a vehicle intending to get from point A to point B safely. Whenever I drive my brother and myself to school in the morning, if I catch myself or someone else on the road making a mistake or not following the rules of the road, I am sure to tell him how he should safely approach situations like that and what to do if anything goes wrong. He will be starting Driver Education in the coming months, and I emphasize the importance to him that he needs to give those classes his full attention so he will be prepared on the road and can stay safe.