The wake-up call

April 16^th, 2022, Lisa’s birthday and a wake-up call I never saw coming. I remember it vividly. Lisa had always been my best friend since we were in preschool, and our moms were friends. Naturally, we ended up being inseparable, perhaps even more so than they were. For as long as I can remember, Lisa has been there in every special occasion I had, through every heartbreak, in every difficult moment. She is one of those people who light up a room just by walking into it. That’s why I have always loved her as a sister. Especially being an only child, the space she holds in my life is huge, irreplaceable.

I didn’t know that her birthday would teach me one of the most relevant lessons I’ve ever learned. When it comes to driving and many other factors in life, the decisions parents make don’t just affect them; they become wounds for the choices we make later in life.

Now, going back to the story, it was Lisa’s 16^th birthday. I remember I spent all day with her at our English classes we usually had on Saturdays, after that, we had lunch with more friends at her house. Well, her grandmother’s house which is a giant, beautiful pool house on the outside of the city. The food was delicious, we all enjoyed some homemade carbonara pasta her grandparents made and hanged in the pool for a couple of hours. When it was around 7 pm, I was the only one left at the reunion, because her parents invited me to have dinner with their family. We changed into nicer, elegant clothes and quickly got in the car.

The dinner was at a popular steakhouse close to her house. The food was delicious, and her parents had some wine while they were eating, everything felt festive. Sometime later, her father left early for work, but her mom stayed for a couple more glasses of wine. At this age, I hadn’t driven yet, but I knew something was not right. Her mom was starting to get tipsy, and she was the one driving me home. I was preoccupied, thought to myself, “It’s okay, she’s an adult and has probably done this before,” as I stepped into the car. But I was nervous. The ride felt tense. I was anxious that something might happen to us and ruin this beautiful day we had enjoyed on my friend’s birthday. I kept glancing over at her during the car ride, trying to figure out if her actions were safe, even though I had no driving experience yet. Once we were a few blocks close to my house, I felt the blue and red lights behind us. A police officer pulled us over and did an alcohol test on her. The test was positive, and he asked her to step out of the car.

It could have ended there, but things escalated quickly. The officer spoke to her harshly, and she answered angrily. I watched from the back seat as things got worse. Lisa started crying, and so did I. We were tired and unsure of what would be the outcome of this night. Later, we walked into a gas station nearby, a nice lady offered both of us some water and tried to calm us down while the police towed the car. Lisa’s mom called my mother for help.

Even though this was a traumatic experience, we moved on with our lives and didn’t think much about it until later. Now, when I reflect on this day, I see it differently. That night stuck with both of us, even if we didn’t realize it at the moment. 

Two years later, we were 18, the legal drinking age in our country, Lisa had started to drink constantly at parties, like many teens do. No one saw anything out of order; it seemed harmless. Also, we both had our licenses now, and nothing felt out of control. One night, we were getting ready for a party at her house. Just before we left, her mom repeated the same advice we heard for years, “Lisa, please do not drink because you are driving, you don’t know how to handle it; it’s different for me since I’m an adult.” We both nodded and left.

When we got to the party, our friends were handing out free drinks. Immediately, Lisa proceeded to grab one. I looked at her with a serious expression and told her that she shouldn’t drink. She laughed and responded, “It’s okay, my mom does it all the time.” I tried some more to convince her not to, but suddenly, all our friends were telling me that I needed to calm down and let her enjoy. “We all do it, and nothing has ever happened to us, Leslie. Lisa is going to be okay; she is just trying to have a good time.”

Hours later, I texted my mom and told her I would rather have her pick me up from the party since Lisa was drinking. I left the party a little early since I had little to no sleep that day. If only I had known what would happen next, I would have stayed longer. 

Just an hour later after I got home, Lisa’s mom called. Lisa had taken a bad turn and crashed into another car near her house. The other driver agreed not to call the police, and Lisa wasn’t injured, but she was shocked. However, Lisa was in a state of shock for a long time, and her mom was scared too. She was desperately crying in disbelief of what could have happened to her. Her mom was also scared, this was the wake-up call for both.

When I heard the topic of this scholarship, I could not help but think of Lisa’s story. Fortunately, it didn’t turn into a tragedy but could have easily been one. The most important lesson I have taken from this is that in driving education, actions matter more than words. Parents must apply safe driving habits from the beginning, because their children will follow their steps.

To sum up, two of the most delicate issues teenagers face regarding driving safely nowadays are peer pressure and the normalization of drunk driving. Parents often don’t realize that their habits become the lessons their children will implement. Telling a teenager not to drive drunk while she saw her mom doing it all the time speaks louder than any other rule. Drunk driving is never okay, not if the person “feels fine,” not if it is “just a 10-minute drive,” not if “nothing bad has happened before.” These justifications are why people are dying or getting injured every 85 seconds worldwide due to drunk driving crashes. That should never have become normal. 

Lisa’s story didn’t end tragically, but it could have. I hope my essay works as a warning and a call to action. Driving safely is not just about following a law; it is about protecting lives, being an example, and setting your limits with others, knowing when to say no. We are facing the consequences of unconsciousness and a lack of education about driving safely. You can save your life and the lives of others by choosing not to drink and drive. Do it for others, but most importantly, do it for yourself.