“In the Blink of An Eye”

I grew up in Idaho and I started taking drivers ed when I was about 14 ½ years old. In my family, we grew up riding off road vehicles like dirt bikes, snow mobiles, jet skis, boats, etc. and so my siblings and I have always received instructions form our mother and father on how to stay safe, especially where there are interactions with cars and other vehicles. We grew up hearing stories about how some people had gotten into awful accidents with their cars and how important it was for us to drive safely when we drove our “toys” as my father would call them. When my brothers and I turned of age to start driving, we knew how important it would be for us to drive safely. The dangers with driving- and especially not driving responsibly- is that if something goes wrong, it can change your life in an instant. There are some towns where they don’t require youths to go take a driver’s ed class and you can see the difference in traffic. Even moving from my hometown of Nampa, Idaho to Logan, Utah, there is a drastic difference in traffic and driving culture and it’s allowed me to always be grateful for the education I got when learning how to drive and how to protect myself and the passengers in my car.

Steps that can be taken to reduce the number of deaths in relation to driving are honestly some things that should never be put aside. For starters, you should always wear your seatbelts. Sometimes they can be uncomfortable yes, but my rule in my car is that everyone needs to be buckled or we aren’t going out. In my first year of college, I had started dating a guy and once he didn’t put on his seatbelt. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and refused to move the car another inch until he buckled up. I wasn’t about to risk his or my own life.

Another step that can be taken is simply being aware of your surroundings. Some people, when they drive, get in such a rush to where they need to be that they forget to be cautious of other people around them. When people don’t take the time to be safe, that’s when collisions happen, or cars lose control.

I think another good step to reduce the number of deaths is also to let other cars around you know what you’re going to be doing when you drive. One of my biggest pet peeves when driving is when people don’t use their signals when they’re turning or changing lanes. I always use my blinker, even when I’m in a lane where it’s meant specifically for turns only and it’s obvious where I’m headed. I’ve witnessed and heard my fair share of stories of harsh accidents happening purely because someone was turning or changing lanes and they didn’t have their signals on, and it caused a collision between cars.

I’ve had my experience of not being in a car accident and I am happy to say that it wasn’t my fault. I was on a road in a small part of town that had a lot of local stores and the road I was on led to where I had the right of way. There were a few intersections where cars could go from one parking lot to another, but they had to yield to us since it wasn’t a four-way stop. The road I was on had multiple lanes, and before the intersection I had moved over to the lane on my right so I could get ready to turn into a parking lot a couple yards down the road. I did it before the intersection, so it wasn’t that I was moving lanes in the middle of the intersection, but right as I was passing through the intersection, a car with three high school boys weren’t paying close enough attention and though they were fast enough to beat me, especially because they thought I was in a turn lane. Unfortunately, their misjudgment and lack of attention caused me to T-bone into the back of their car, completely ruining the front of my minivan. Luckily the worst injury was two concussions from myself and my passenger due to the airbags. Every day I am grateful that no one passed away in that accident, especially because of some recent news my coworkers and I had received.

Very recently, we were told by our manager that one of our old coworkers had gotten in a terrible accident due to bad road conditions. On the interstate, a pickup truck had lost control due to some slush as they were returning home the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the truck crossed over to the part of the intersection that was going the opposite direction and there was a head on collision with my coworker’s car. Unfortunately, the pickup driver and my coworker’s wife who was in the passenger seat, passed away from the accident and my coworker was rushed to the hospital due to vital conditions he was in. He luckily will make it through, but now sadly he is a widower at age 21 and he lost his wife of not even 5 months. Hearing of this news was so hard to hear, especially when the loss was around the holidays.

Hearing around and living through experiences like this really puts you into perspective of just how important it is to drive safely and not only be cautious of yourself but be the responsible driver for others that are also on the road. Some simple things that I think can help us be better and safer drivers, especially during the winter, is driving at appropriate speeds and being aware of your surroundings. During the holidays, everyone is so eager to get home to their loved ones that it is easy to forget some simple driving rules. In my part of town, there is also a lot of harsh weather conditions, so it’s important to have focus on how you’re driving and avoiding driving into other vehicles bright lights when the weather is against you. Simply, it’s important to remember everyone around you and the people in your own car and to always keep in mind how you would feel if something drastic were to happen to either you or someone you love. It’s important to remember that the course of your life can change in the blink of an eye when you’re driving and on the road.