Crash

Crash

In America, the second leading cause of death amongst teenagers is motor vehicle crashes. Yearly, more people die in car crashes instead of a boat, plane, and other vehicle-related accidents. As someone who has lost a close friend in a tragic car accident and witnessed a nearly fatal car accident, the importance of driver education across all ages has been relevant to me for years.

Amid the newly instated global quarantine last year, I took my road test. Before scheduling my exam, I attended driving school and appreciated every minute of it. Besides my familiarity with the dangers of the road, driving anxiety had always filled my body every time I got behind the wheel. However, thanks to my fantastic driving teacher, I learned a lot about road safety while overcoming my driving anxiety. Aside from the fear of other cars, my driving anxiety mostly came from my fear of driving around eighteen-wheeler trucks. Once I expressed my discomfort with eighteen-wheeler trucks, my driving instructor asked me a question. “Who do you think is a better driver, you or the truck driver,” he asked. Initially, I tried to convince myself that I believed that I was the better driver, even though I only had five hours of driving experience because my vehicle was nowhere near the size of the monster trucks roaming the highways. However, after considering the amount of training and experience that truck drivers have, I overcame the majority of my road anxiety at that moment.

Following overcoming my fear of sharing the road with eighteen-wheelers, I had to battle another fear of mine. “What if I crash” I often asked myself. I was more worried about a random, deadly, and unironic car crash, even though I was confident with my driving skills. In my driver’s education class, I was taught that driving while anxious can distract that driver and lead them to crash instead of avoiding a crash. My teacher also showed the class statistics that supported the fact that car crashes are most likely to be fatal if the vehicle’s occupants were not wearing seatbelts, were intoxicated, or were distracted by their cell phones. Before my first driving lesson, I had already made up in my mind that I would always wear a seatbelt, that I would never consume alcohol regardless if I was driving or not, and also that I would not text and drive. After reevaluating my character and the number of safety measures that I had already been taking at the time, I allowed myself to relieve myself of my driving anxiety and gained more confidence in my driving skills.

I would recommend that every driver take a road safety driving class regardless of whether they are a new or well-experienced driver. Aside from assisting me in overcoming my driving anxiety by taking my driver’s education class, I feel as though I know how to prevent car accidents and help others avoid a car crash. In every state, it should be mandatory that new drivers, including those who wish to obtain their learners permit, and experienced drivers, should take one driver’s education class every six months to reduce the number of car crashes and deaths related to car crashes. Road safety is beyond not texting and driving and not drinking and driving; road safety is about responsibility and accountability, which can be obtained and strengthened by taking a driver’s education class.

I have never been in a car crash, but I have tragically witnessed one. Originally, I am from Augusta, Georgia. Augusta is a small, homey city home to most of my immediate family members. Alcoholism runs in my family, being the most prevalent in my Georgia relatives, unlike my family in the north. One of the most impactful people in my life is my seventy-eight-year-old grandfather, a recovering addict. The day that I witnessed my grandfather crash his navy blue truck, head on with a grey SUV, is when I made up in my mind that I would not consume alcohol or any narcotic ever in life. Aside from struggling with substance abuse, my grandfather was constantly experiencing kidney failure, diabetes and had just recovered from a heart attack at the time of this non-fatal car accident. Sitting next to my grandfather in his hospital room, praying that he would wake up from his coma, has always resonated with me. I have dedicated much of my time volunteering at addiction awareness centers and raising awareness of the importance of allowing addicts a safe space to recover and receive treatment.

While not everyone who gets into a car accident is not an addict or even caused the crash, the importance of self-control while driving, in terms of putting your phone down or keeping your eyes on the road, is not stressed enough. Following the loss of my friend to a fatal car accident, I was made aware that not every car accident is chaotic or has a blatant cause. A hard lesson that I’ve learned is that not every outcome has an input. In a perfect world, automobile accidents are non-existent. However, since car accidents are inevitable, society should continue to unite to raise awareness about car accident prevention and its many layers.

To allow me to drive as safely as possible and consider other people’s lives on and off the road, I have several ritualistic practices before I even crank up my car. When I get into my car, I silence my phone, put it in my back seat, but on my seat belt, and ensure that all of my mirrors are in a position in which I can see everything around me, outside of my car. As an individual on the road, I have driven around reckless drivers, weaving in and out of lanes and driving way too fast. However, leading by example, by continuing to drive safely, I am setting an excellent model for other cars on the road, as well as for passengers in my vehicle.