Mistakes are Made but the Loss is Greater

Many are unaware that one of the most dangerous objects that is seen and used daily is driving. How could this be possible? For those who get behind the wheel, many factors can be the cause of an accident, which can result in death. It is said, about 1.19 million people die from driving. It is a tragedy to have such a loss because of driving. For me personally when I was younger, seeing people around me, driving seemed like such an exciting chapter. I remember I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel. I was so eager to consistently tell my parents to teach me how to drive. My thought process at that time was me becoming an adult once I began to drive. Even though I had all these emotions, I didn’t realize until I got older on how dangerous driving can be. And some don’t even realize it until it’s too late. Yes, driving is a privilege but there are various people who try to minimize the dangers. Everyone should be required to be taught the different outcomes that result in a death by driving. One experience of mine that I can personally say helped open my eyes was an event that happens every 2 years at my school (Eastside High School, located in Lancaster, CA). This event is called every 15 minutes. And what they try to do is by enforcing the idea that someone has died every 15 minutes due to driving while drinking or texting. They get volunteers from students and call out their name to pronounce every 15 minutes that they have died. They also make a video clip, and stage a whole car accident scene to show the dangers of these types of situations that can be the cause of a car wreck. In which it is front those who are seniors and juniors. I participated in the event and was actually the one that was killed due to someone drinking and driving. Behind the scenes, there were a lot of real life situations that made me feel as if I really died. They had me lay down, acting dead with fake blood all over my body, in front of the whole student body. They also had volunteers of CHP, judges, coroners office, and firefighters. CHP went to my home and essentially told my mother that I had died. I remember coming back home and my mom was heartbroken hearing that news even though she knew it was fake. But for the fact that she had an officer coming to our home, she felt it was real, and I did too. Throughout that whole ordeal, it showed the consequences of one or 2 people’s actions. Those of us who survived from the accident, were heavily affected in their lives. We even had a fake trial, where our families spoke in front of the judge and spoke on the behalf of those who had died. I remember crying, feeling in pain, as if I had really left this earth. And to top it off, they did a funeral service for me in front of the whole school. I cried throughout my funeral in the back of the theater. Despite all of it, I am grateful I did the event because it enlightened the amount of death resulting from driving. I felt this whole event as my reality and it made me vow to be responsible when driving. This can be one of many lessons to be taught for those in high school and should be encouraged in all schools across the world. I feel it can highlight the importance of death caused by driving. Not only sticking to the scenario of drinking and texting while driving but many other scenarios that happen every day. Sadly, many do not grasp the severity until they are the ones experiencing it. I personally have not had any family member get into a car accident and I hope I won’t have to but we are never sure of our daily outcomes. The steps I take to ensure my safety and others that are on the road are by being cautious of my surroundings, not using my phone, not drinking while driving, ensuring I’m within the speed limit, always having my seatbelt, and more. These minor and major decisions that I make, help me ensure my safety while driving. I can only hope those who don’t do these simple factors will take this more into consideration and think of the different consequences that can be caused by someone else’s actions, even their own.