The Fight for Safety

Learning how to drive is almost every teens’ dream! Getting behind the wheel, being in control, no longer needing a chaperone, and being able to take care of something are just some of the perks a teenager will see. Just like these young minds, adults need to remember that driving can be a scary thing. One needs the knowledge of their responsibility, poise to avoid being reckless, and education. Not only regarding the education of the rules and regulations of the road on which they drive, but also on the dangers of breaking those rules. Some important things to remember about driving in regard to reducing the number of deaths is that it is something we can control, we develop skills, and we need good judgement.

If increasing our awareness of driving recklessly will help us to avoid driving recklessly, then we need to educate ourselves and those around us. We cannot sit idly by while our peers and often times, superiors, drive recklessly due to anger, intoxication, or any other form of reckless inducing behavior. We’ve all been someone who sit by because we do not want to offend or assume that someone is more intoxicated than they are letting on. We must be part of the prevention.

Learning about our surroundings, whether we are visiting or not, will help us appreciate the beauty around us while also treating the people and area with respect. We then grow as human beings and develop many skills and characteristics including grace, respect, tolerance, love, and tranquility.

When driving, we are always at risk. “Car accidents are a fact of life. In 2020, a total of 35,766 fatal car accidents occurred on roadways across the United States. Another 1,593,390 crashes resulted in injuries and 3,621,681 caused property damage. That means a total of 5,250,837 collisions happened over the course of a single year.” (Christy Bieber, JD., Forbes, 2023). Once we get behind the wheel, we are obligated to trust other drivers and be trusted, ourselves, by any pedestrian, biker, motorcyclist, other vehicle operator, and bystander. It is not just a risk that we put ourselves in, but a risk we put on everyone else.

In the split of one second, we make decisions. We make decisions all the time that often feel mundane or not important. However, because the decisions we make while driving impact not only ourselves, as I mentioned above, we impact everyone around us. We need to be aware of the vehicle, ourselves (our emotions, mental state), and the time it take to get somewhere. I have been at fault of running late and thinking ‘I can shave some time off of this drive’ without the reality that getting to the destination safe is more important that getting there on time.

Hearing discussions from former victims of car accidents is heartbreaking. They think of all of the ways the situation could have gone differently. They think the worst of themselves or the other person involved. This allows for emotional healing which can lead to emotional resilience. Individuals can grow from anger and frustration towards a situation or individual into someone who finds peace and forgiveness.

Driving gives everyone a sense of control, as I mentioned previously. With this sense of control, drivers have an imbedded confidence. With this given confidence that comes with driving comes the responsibility of recognizing where over-confidence comes in. This is a strong theme that is related to drinking under the influence.

To be quite honest, I have had friends let me drive home while intoxicated thinking that “nothing bad will happen to me” and thankfully, the one time I did drink and drive, I did get home just fine. But it does happen. Hearing the stories of victims of the driver who caused a family to lose a member, you can hear them say “I never thought it would happen to me”. Fortunately, I have learned my lesson without losing my life or causing the life of someone else to be lost at my hand. I study psychology and why people do what they do. I know from personal experience how these individuals felt while not suffering the immediate consequences.

To take my own advice to be a safer driver in my own and surrounding neighborhoods, I make some promises. I first promise that I will never drive under the influence nor get in the car with someone who is, without them accepting me to be the designated driver. Second, I will be aware of my surroundings, especially shorter, smaller, or faster pedestrians to ensure their safety whilst in my vicinity. Finally, I will not drive recklessly when I feel mentions that would cause me to. I will be brave in asking for help from my friends and recognize my pride in situations where I would normally want to shrug a bad situation off.