The Weight of Our Wheels

The Weight of Our Wheels: The Importance of Safe Driving for Human Life

For as long as I can remember, my parents have been the kind of drivers who approach our roads with the utmost caution. Every time they were in the car, their hands seemed as if they had an unwavering grip of control on the wheel, and their eyes ran miles, darting between the mirrors. They never drove distracted, never took unnecessary risks on the road, and never let their focus stray off from driving for even a moment. As a child, I found this behavior almost excessive. Why on earth did they take driving this seriously? Mustn’t it draining to be this way every time they drove? Why are only my parents this way? Thoughts like this defined car rides with my family growing up. It wasn’t until I began to drive myself that I truly began to understand the weight of responsibility that all drivers hold when being in control of a vehicle.

One of the most telling moments that revealed my parent’s disapproval of reclass driving would be their reactions to other crashes and incidents around us. With the strongest sense of empathy and concern for people who were involved in one, the mere sight of a crash, no matter the scale, had always visibly upset them. My mother, especially, would almost instantly begin to pray when passing an accident or even when being passed by drivers who zig-zag through lanes. “I will drive here; God bless you.” She would continue raising her hand up towards them in a tone that I had once found sarcastic and funny but grew to learn to view as sincere and valid. I find it ironic that I now find myself with the same levels of concern as my parents when passing by flashing emergency lights on the side of the road because then, this accident is no longer only a statistic but a life-altering and sometimes life-ending event that occurs too often. Every accident is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how critical it is to drive with full and absolute awareness.

The first turning point in my understanding of safe driving came in the most terrifying way possible. Around the age of twelve, my father, driving me, my mother, and my younger sister back from a cousin’s birthday party on a Saturday summer night could have easily turned into “Family of four critically injured in accident on Prince William Parkway”, and looking back, I marvel at how that didn’t end up being the case. He had meant to turn left in an intersection with multiple lanes in each, but due to lights being out on the road, instead of turning onto the right side of the road, we were blinded by the lights that faced us as he turned into oncoming traffic. As oncoming cars swerved to avoid us hesitantly trying to U-turn and maneuver out of this situation; the car was dead silent. I’d never seen him cry, but once parking in a nearby parking lot of a Party City, the silence continued while I heard something from him, I had never heard before. That, and the fact we were all lucky to be alive solidified it all for me. Safe driving wasn’t just a set of rules, they are regulators for the lives of millions who use the roads daily.

Once my time came to start learning how to drive, I viewed it as a chance to reinforce my commitment to safety and the seriousness my parents have demonstrated when driving all my life. One skill I learned was defensive driving techniques– keeping an eye out for potential hazards, maintaining a safe following distance, and being hyper-aware of the actions (or lack thereof) of other drivers. I also make a point of never driving fatigued or distracted because my life and the lives of others are not worth being affected on the roads because of something like that. Even after learning these techniques, the more I drove, the more accidents I saw, and the more I wanted to do. I began to learn first aid techniques just in case I witnessed an accident, and I could be of immediate service.

There are many additional steps that the everyday person can take to make the roads safer for us all, and as much as I have learned, there’s still more I can do myself to help. One thing I think can influence how people drive profoundly would simply be speaking up when we witness unsafe driving behaviors. The more people let reckless driving slide; the more people will drive like that until the standard of what is considered unsafe becomes normalized. Leading by example is what everyone should strive to do, to keep the standard of safety high, for the sake of their own lives, and the lives of everyone around them.

I will never forget that near-fatal accident when I was younger, nor will the rest of my family, but as I grow in life and become surrounded by drivers that may not be quite like my parents, that lesson, and the many other lessons they taught me will stay with me for the rest of my life. Unlike too many, I am beyond fortunate to be able to say the phrase “for the rest of my life,” so as long as I have one, I aspire to be a driver who can convenience the lives of those behind the wheel around me, instead of risking them.