A Driver’s Comfort

There’s a little girl in the hospital room. She’s sitting at the base of the patient’s bed singing a song. The patient is unconscious, unaware of his singing daughter as she is unaware that her dad could have died.

This little girl was me.

Although I’ve never been in a car accident, I’ve seen the impact reckless driving can have. When I was little my dad was hit by a car. He was left with metal in his leg, a few bruises, and thankfully nothing more. This occurred because of someone’s irresponsibility. Although we make light of the situation by saying he’s part robot, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the reckless driver had hit my dad in a different way. Would he still be here?

In order to prevent disasters from occurring to other families, we have to make people uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable strikes up action. It was because early Americans were uncomfortable with the British that they decided to revolt and because African Americans were uncomfortable with the inequality of America that they began the civil rights movement. To do this, American needs to start by educating the youth and saying more than drive responsibly. We need to show the youth videos of car accidents taking place, share the stories of people who’ve lost friends and family to reckless driving, and place them in simulations that allow them to experience the severity of the situation. These experiences will make them uncomfortable. Car accidents are serious and should be treated as such. Safe drivers ed can breed safe drivers who know the consequences of reckless driving.

For the older generations, the same feeling can be achieved through commercials, billboards, and other forms of public outreach. I’ve seen a commercial for car accidents before and they left me with a sinking feeling in my stomach. But I’ve only seen a few in my whole life. In order to reach the older generations, more commercials like this should be aired. A way to especially reach them is to focus on a child during a car accident to expose them to the impact they’ll have on a child’s life. Likewise, billboards and social media posts with simple yet captivating messages can catch the eyes of those that see.

Currently, I don’t drive but I know several people that do on a daily basis. Before they leave, I will encourage them to be safe, remind them to stay off the phone, and request a text when they arrive at their destination. These small things will assure them that I care and hopefully be an echoing message in their head as they drive on the road. However, when I do start driving, I will be sure to follow these exact rules and preach it to my peers. Driving safely is important for not just me but all the other parents, siblings, grandparents, spouses, and the children on the road.