A Fine Line Near Death

Most people can say they remember it fondly, the faint anxiety of getting behind the wheel with an instructor in the passenger seat. Passing the test, getting an unflattering first photo taken and a card printed out with their name on it. Picking a friend up for the first time, and life keeps getting bigger from there. The way it should be; teenagers taking their first steps into the real world and accepting its great responsibilities with open arms. Too often though, the magnitude of these responsibilities is underestimated. Best case scenario, insurance rates go up and lessons are learned. Worst case scenario, lives are lost, and futures are forever altered.

In a perfect world, the general safety and wellbeing of ourselves and fellow man would take priority above all else. Especially when operating a four-thousand-pound (on average, according to the EPA) vehicle at speeds of 60 mph and potentially greater at interstate speeds. We don’t live in a perfect world, though, and humans are imperfect people. I believe that, as a society, we do have the ability to enact positive change and reduce the startling number of driving-related deaths. Taking early steps in the education of young drivers before they receive their driver’s license is crucial to this. Personally, I strongly believe that a comprehensive driver’s education class should be mandatory in all public schools, in all fifty states. Although in my home state of Pennsylvania, and many others, formal training is not required to obtain a license. However, the public high school I attended did require all students to pass a driver education class to graduate. This was very informative for me and did assist with my ability to pass my initial driver exam, as well as learning helpful tidbits of information I still come back to today. Driver error is the leading cause of accidents in the United States, and advocating for such courses for students could have a huge part in creating a culture among young people that values awareness and safety. Possibly having an associated ripple effect on our roadways.

Fortunately for me, I have never been in a serious motor-vehicle accident. I know others that have not been so lucky and have lasting effects from the crash. A couple years ago, though, I was trying to return home from a routine grocery store run. Driving in my right lane on a straight stretch of road for nearly a mile more before my next turn, I nearly passed a local grocer with a notoriously small parking lot. In my peripheral vision, I saw what looked like an orange flash headed toward my back door. With barely enough time to honk the horn, I felt the impact not long after that, and pulled into the parking lot. A young girl driving with a friend was trying to back up into the lane I had already been in, didn’t see me due to lack of, what my best guess is, situational awareness, and damaged both our vehicles in the process. Neither of us were angry, just a bit shaken in the aftermath. After review and discussion with the insurance companies, she was found to be at fault, and the money for a new door was paid to me, thankfully. The accident itself was low speed, but it was my first (and only, at the time of writing) experience with a collision, and was still very stressful otherwise. Even with a relatively mild collision, the repairs were still costly, and I can only hope the insurance rate did not jump too much for her afterward. Many basic rules of the road were reinforced that day, by me and the other driver involved as well. Although she claimed responsibility, I do believe I’m guilty of letting my guard down on that drive home, and maybe I had gotten lucky in the past on other drives. Since then, I do my best to always drive with an extra degree of caution not previously exercised.

Despite the fact I have not been involved in a serious crash, I can easily recall a number of close calls or times I could have gotten behind the wheel, but should not have. As a blossoming twenty-two-year-old, there usually is no shortage of alcohol at social events. I take no issue with this so long as everybody is responsible. However, when looking at the statistics related to drunk driving, it becomes clear that many people do not act responsibly when alcohol is involved. The National Highway Traffic Administration has found that 32% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes occurred due to impaired drivers in 2022. Because of facts like this and seeing friends, family, or even strangers trying to drive themselves home in a stupor only to be reprimanded by others, I make sure to always have a way to get home when I am drinking.

Actively taking the steps to always prioritize safety on the road is one of the best, and easiest, things we can do as drivers. Wearing our seatbelts, following speed limits, always driving sober and alert, as well as discouraging unsafe behaviors from others as we see them. However basic it may seem, after enough safe travels, we can begin to take them for granted. No matter what the law enforces and encourages, direct action and change starts with us as individuals, part of a whole. Each one of us has the ability to impact another. Practicing proper safety is the foundation of that principle. I feel that in our society and general culture, we are pressured to always be on the move, and to get to our destinations as fast as possible. Whether it is work, errands, or something else entirely, it seems we are always rushing, rushing, rushing. Changing our collective attitude toward this has the potential to bring about greater safety in all areas of life, but especially during an inherently dangerous action vital to our daily routines.

Each one of us has a place in this world, and on our roadways across this great country. People are traveling every single day, and that also means there are accidents every single day, too. In fact, in 2022 alone, there were a total of 42,514 fatal crashes in the US, meaning one hundred sixteen crashes a day. We each carry equal weight of our collective safety, for ourselves and every other person sharing the road with us.