“Perception vs Reality”

“Perception vs Reality” –
Jeremy Shinder

On
Friday, January 24, 2020, my car was rear-ended by a drunk driver
while I was driving my younger brother home after a long night of
play rehearsal. While at a stop sign, the right-back corner of my
vehicle was slammed into by a middle-aged woman who was driving
upwards of 40MPH in a 25MPH zone and who was clearly not sober. After
she hit me, I immediately made sure my brother was alright. As soon
as he gave me the ok, my next reaction was to check on the condition
of the other driver. When I knocked on her window, I instantly saw
that this middle-aged woman was under the influence, as she couldn’t
make coherent sentences, let alone comprehend what happened. The next
thing I remember was seeing smoke and her airbag pushing against her.
I did what I could; I forced open her banged-up door, thus relieving
some of the pressure pushing against her. When the police arrived, I
told them I thought she might be drunk, and after conducting a field
sobriety test, which she obviously failed, they arrested her on the
spot. She eventually was written up for reckless driving, as well as
driving under the influence (DUI). In both the police report and her
insurance company claim, it was acknowledged that she was the sole
culprit of the crash. 

Rightfully
so, there is much societal attentional paid in making sure teenagers
follow all driving regulations. However, especially because of my
personal experience, I believe that there is not enough done to
ensure that everyone drives safely. Too many adults partake in
‘girls’ night out’ and ‘drinks with the boys’ followed by
driving home. This is wrong and irresponsible. Furthermore, I believe
there must be more discussion on the dangers of drinking and driving
NOT ONLY for millennials, but also for routine middle-age social
drinkers. To demonstrate, the woman who hit me is the mother of one
of my brother’s classmates. Therefore, as a future filmmaker, I
plan on creating Drunk Driving PSA’s specifically focusing on
upper-middle class adults who drive home after drinking too much.
Unfortunately, the public eye exclusively depicts “drunk driving”
as irresponsible millennials; that is just not true. 

Admittedly,
reflecting how my brother and I could have been seriously injured or
even killed keeps me up some nights; all because of some woman’s
selfish and reckless decision. Before I entered high school, my
father sat me down and told me that he refuses to have even one sip
of alcohol if he’s later going to be driving my family. Moreover,
he also made me promise to never ever get into a car with anyone
under the influence. At the time, “anyone” meant a fellow high
schooler; now, I know that adults are just as dangerous drunk driving
as teens. All things considered, I think we can collectively make the
world a safer place by taking my father’s promise to heart — that
in which we acknowledge that “anyone” really means EVERYONE.