One’s caution does not prevent someone else’s recklessness

One’s caution does not prevent someone else’s recklessness

You could be the safest driver in the world, but it does not prevent meeting a reckless driver.

I always disliked driving, during my driving lessons we had to learn about incidents of people who killed other people for their inconsideration, intoxication, and incidents where people burned all because of car accidents. It made me angry to think that no matter how considerate a person was on the road it didn’t guarantee someone being that considerate for you. A person could easily take your life by being selfish. It made driving on the road harder because I didn’t feel accomplished being a good driver. Not when a person on the road could care less about the way they drove. That’s why it’s so important to spread awareness on how to reduce the risk of car crashes, when we are educated on driving correctly we create safer roads. And we lessen the causes of death.

My first car accident was at the age of 17, For some reason I thought it would be a rare occurrence; something that wouldn’t happen to me unless I was careless. If I drove safely, kept my eyes on the road, and drove the speed limit; I’d be fine. I was on my way home, blasting music with my sister. It had been a draining day but I was in a good mood to get home. I had the right away, as all my cars in my lane did. I was two blocks away from my house, I could even see the corner to turn into my neighborhood. As I turned, an incoming car from the opposite lane rammed into my car. It all happened in an instant, I didn’t even have time to process what had just happened. It felt unreal, I almost laughed in shock. It surely couldn’t have been real. My car which was once at the beginning of the street was now in the middle, blocking off traffic. As I panicked to put my car in park I could see the endless cars in disbelief. I quickly parked my car on the side of the road and watched a mother to a young child come out of the car. The situation looked bad, two teenagers in a crash with a mother and her child. However, in this case, it was a middle-aged woman who could’ve potentially ruined my life. In other scenarios, the crash could’ve been a lot more fatal. My car could have flipped on its side, a bone could have broken, or even worse I could’ve lost myself or my sister in that crash. Thankfully all it was, was a huge indent in my car. My bumper was completely gone, and my car had been dented so badly, the door couldn’t open. My window had popped and It was a shock I had no trace of a single scrape. I was angry that a random person I didn’t even know could ruin my car, let alone potentially harm the fate of my life. That day made me realize how things could’ve ended a lot differently and how crashes are a high cause of death to those who weren’t as fortunate as me.

The highest leading cause to car crashes are intoxication, we cannot enforce how crucial this is but we can emphasize Uber, taxi, or having a designated driver when drinking. It’s not worth going home when you can cause another person’s kid from never arriving home. It’s easier to call someone to pick you up than driving intoxicated. We also need to stress not to speed. People are always in a rush; when we take our time, we are more conscious about our surroundings and can focus on the road rather than the destination we are late to. I myself am not a perfect driver but after my accident, i made sure I never sped, always yielded when I was supposed to, and took my time driving.

Driving should not be taken lightly. We should be careful who we let on the road and educate those who need it. When we are educated on driving we are able to think about our surroundings and the people near us. We cannot guide everyone to drive safely but we can spread awareness of the constant incidents that happen so often so we as people can put into perspective how dangerous driving recklessly can be. If it’s not you, it is someone’s father, someone’s child, someone’s teacher. Always wear your seatbelt, keep your eyes on the road, and never be distracted!