This Time. Every Time.

“Plans are canceled,” I said to my parents, annoyed. It was the weekend before Halloween and my friends and I had been looking forward to hanging out weeks in advance. Between our busy schedules and finding a parent that would allow all the friends to be at their house, we did not have the opportunity to be all together very often. At the time, I didn’t know we would have to wait even longer. But now, I wish my friend could have just waited to pick up his phone before being hit head on by an oncoming driver. Everyone thankfully had made it out of the accident safely. This time.

No big deal, I thought, accidents happen all the time. Until the next month when my friend’s birthday came around, and we threw her a surprise party. We all filed into her basement, anxiously awaiting to see her come down the stairs just like we planned.  She was so surprised, and we began the celebration. Cakes, presents, music, and alcohol? One of our friends decided to have fun in his own way but was driven home instead after the parents learned of his underage drinking. He was driven home safely, so we thought, until we later heard that once he got home, he went right back out and into his car. Less than 30 minutes after he got home, word spread that he was arrested with a DUI charge and that was the last we saw of our friend for months. He was lucky that there was no accident as a part of his DUI. This time.

And another month later, the reality of our fortune became apparent. The morning news spoke about the neighboring school district’s sadness for the senseless tragedy when the 18-year old driver hit a tree after losing control of the SUV he was driving. Six teenagers were in the vehicle. Two were severely injured. Two died. Two days before Christmas.

In the span of three months, a distracted driver, a DUI and a speeding teenager impacted me greatly in different ways. Which then made me wonder, how many other people my age are unaware of these things too? Car crashes are increasing annually, and not surprisingly, the number of deaths as a result of driving as well. While sharing different statistics about the number of deaths a year, or amount of injuries due to driving, numbers do not share the same effect as personal experiences, which is why I believe the importance of driver’s education is so important.

Instead of needing to react, it is beneficial to respond to the issues we know may be coming up. Driver’s education allows new drivers, or even drivers who have been on the road, the opportunity to be aware and make the road as safe as people. Even though you can not control how other people drive, you have the power to put yourself in a position to stay protected. If everyone was able to be taught this mindset, I believe the number of deaths due to driving would decrease greatly.

Due to my experience in seeing different forms of accidents, I am given a rare perspective on the steps I can take to help others be safer on the roads. It’s common with kids my age to minimize the importance of how dangerous a phone distraction really is. Constantly, I catch my friends picking up their phone at red lights, or even in areas where the speed limit is slow, they think they can get away with taking their eyes off the road. The main way I keep myself and others safer on the roads stems from this, and I recommend to them that whatever it is it can wait or even offer to help them respond to a message if they insist it can not wait. Life for teenagers these days revolves around a phone but when they are able to drive and also have a passenger help keep them in the loop, many accidents can potentially be avoided. 

Understanding that we all play a role that creates a domino effect on the road not just for a singular trip, but for every mile, is a lesson that I try not only to remind myself, but also the other teenage driver’s that I’m with. Running a red light usually means you’ll be met with a red light at the next intersection. If hearing the ‘ding’ of the phone alert is too great of a distraction, put the phone in the glove box while you’re driving. If you feel uncomfortable with have a whole carload of chatty teenagers in your car, blame your parents and say that they only allow two other friends.

I’ve learned that I have the ability to impact many lives, including my own and those in my family every time I’m behind the wheel.  I never take that responsibility lightly and am also mindful of how I can keep myself, my friends and family and my community safe through education, helpful teenage tips – and even reminders to those who taught me to make sure their habits are just as good as mine – every time!