Preparing for the Dangers of Driving

Ever since I was very young, I was aware of the potential dangers of driving and the need to be informed about not only how to drive a car but also how to be cautious and safe while being in one. I was always told by friends and family to keep my phone on the “do not disturb” mode, to “keep my head on a swivel at all times,” and to be extra cautious at night or during storms whenever I had the responsibility of driving, which is something that I have always taken seriously. When I first got my driver’s  license, it was not required by Missouri law to take any drivers education courses, but after talking with my parents about how drivers education courses were mandatory when they were younger and living in Minnesota and the safety they felt in the knowledge they gained from those courses, I decided to take online drivers education courses through my insurance company. The first time I truly understood how negligent driving could ruin my life was when my dad sat me down and told me about his driving experience from when he was younger and how it damaged his body, which not only included his physical but also his mental well-being. My dad expressed that he did not want me to make the same mistakes he did, so he decided to share his story in hopes that my brother and I could learn a lesson from the mistakes of his past and not face the same issues that came as a result of this accident.

When my dad was in his early 20s, he was driving down a road in rural Minnesota after working late at night for many hours. The road was deserted, and with each minute that passed, exhaustion slowly but surely got the better of him, causing him to fall asleep behind the wheel. Suddenly, his head slammed into the front windshield and rear view mirror. Shortly after that, he was thrown out the passenger window, where he lost a portion of his jaw from hitting the side mirror. This left him lying in the cold snow, far from any hospitals or clinics to assist him. The odds were stacked in his favor; between the injuries he accumulated in the accident and the cruel cold of that Minnesota winter, my dad had little chance of surviving, but luckily he saw a dim light in the distance. Slowly, he crept towards this light where he came across the porch. He knocked on the door, and a woman opened it. She helped my dad into the house and called an ambulance to treat his injuries. Soon the ambulance arrived and rushed him to the hospital, where my dad discovered that he had survived a car accident with only an 18 percent survival rate during that time. After spending many nights receiving many stitches in the hospital, my dad was finally free to go home. Once he was settled in, he called the woman and thanked her for leaving her porch light on, which, to his surprise, hadn’t been on and hadn’t been working for many years. He never found out if the light was a figment of his imagination or some miracle, but what he did know was that he wasn’t going to waste this second chance. Now my dad shares his struggles from the injuries and his near-death experience accumulated in this accident to show others the true dangers of driving. He is open about not only his physical injuries but also his memory issues and migraines that he struggles with to this day so that he can protect his family and others from making the mistakes that he has.

Now my dad encourages my brother and I not only to be aware while driving but also to take courses so that we can step into the car as informed and cautious drivers, which not only teaches us how to protect ourselves and others but also our future from the permanent mark that an accident can leave on someone’s life. I believe that through sharing stories like my dad’s and the millions of others that have been impacted by car accidents, regardless of how big or small, is how I believe we can create the space to take the first steps towards promoting drivers education so that more people not only be cautious when they drive but also conscious when they step into the vehicle and become responsible for not only their safety but the safety of those around them.