Lessons Learned

Some of the most important relationships in my life are those I have created and nurtured with my two younger sisters. Our relationships are not just of family, but also of friends. From their birth I understood and took on the duty of taking care of them, and similarly, a fear settled in of letting any harm come to them. As someone designated to drive them wherever they needed, being a safe and educated driver was, and continues to be, a must. Somehow, as soon as I started driving not for my own purposes, but for them and other family members, all those “silly Driver’s Ed videos” started making sense, and it all became even more real when we were rear-ended by another driver who did not make good decisions before or while getting behind the wheel.

I had driven the same return trip countless times and this time nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The same amount of traffic on a Sunday afternoon, the usual music on, and the usual conversations between myself and my, at the time, 12 and 13 year-old sisters. We were on I-20 west-bound when I noticed we were coming up on a spot of traffic, but I also noticed a large red Chevy unsafely close to us. As I came to a full stop behind the traffic ahead of me, I looked to my rear-view mirror and realized we were about to get hit by the truck who had failed to notice traffic had stopped moving. I quickly told my sisters to hold on and braced for the hit. Sure enough, we were soon pushed forward into the car in front with a loud bang. The adrenaline of the impact rushed through me as I looked over to make sure my sisters were okay, as they were my main concern. And so, the importance of safe driving became a major truth in my life.

While everyone involved was grateful that nothing major happened, nor any injuries, the moment did impact all parties involved. Once we came to a safer part of the highway to assess the situation, I learned that the Chevy driver at fault was a woman who was under the influence and had no form of identification. She and her passenger were both taken away by the officer who arrived at the scene. It dawned on me how easy it is for someone to make a truly bad decision that could negatively change another person’s life. Why do we forget that the vehicles we drive are machines? Why do we forget that one wrong move can destroy property, injure someone, or worse, take a life? Sure, in this instance my sisters and I were not harmed, but how many others don’t get to say the same thing? This moment made me truly realize the need to be as informed about what it means to drive a vehicle, to take seriously the task at hand, and be as cautious as one can be.

If I take this event as a learning experience, there are many lessons to be learned and mistakes to avoid. For one, the obvious one, never get into the driver’s seat while being under the influence. Every driving course stresses this fact over and over again, for good reason. I was furious that my family and I were put in a dangerous situation because another person decided it was okay to drive while not having full control of their own bodies. Another lesson is constantly being aware of what is happening around you. Had we all known there was an incoming traffic jam, we would have all acted accordingly and avoided what actually occurred. Taking driving education allowed me to be as safe and as calm as I could have been in that situation. That is the purpose of taking those courses – to be prepared, to be careful, to be knowledgeable and make the best decisions during unfavorable circumstances. That is the importance of educating drivers. Taking driving seriously, and the education needed to do it well, will aid in reducing unnecessary dangers on the roads, mistakes resulting in accidents, and therefore, reducing the deaths of people who matter.

It is absolutely unfortunate that younger generations take for granted the use of driving education. While I do agree that some courses can be a bit boring or underwhelming, we should be conscious of the fact that they speak the truth, and we should not try to escape from the truth or believe the lie that “I am a safe driver so that could never be me.” We should all strive to be diligent in being our best behind the wheel. I believe there are a lot of ways we can improve as a society to reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving errors. There is value in in-person driving schools, as they can be more personable than online courses that one can remove their attention from. I find it harder to deny the realities when face-to-face with victims of car accidents or surviving family members, so real-life conversations with those people would help students become more conscious drivers. Additionally, the enforcement or even requirement of safe-driving modes on cell phones to reduce distractions on the road would positively impact road accidents. Lastly, I believe there should be an increase of highway or road patrols to ensure safe driving practices on real-time travel.

After my encounter with an irresponsible driver, I committed myself to becoming more accountable for my driving habits. I choose everyday to keep safe distances between myself and vehicles in front me, keep myself within a reasonable range of posted speed limits, and avoid distractions such as texting, phone calls and excessively loud music. Most of all, I have to remember that there are people in every vehicle around me, and that person could be a mother, a brother, a friend, and I owe it to them to be cautious and keep us all out of harm’s way.