Crashing Heart Beats

The human heart beats almost 100,000 times per day. Each beat is a rhythm of life, a silent promise of perpetuation. And yet, at times, that promise is shattered in an instant–a sudden swerve, the screeching of tires, the feeling of metal against metal. A heartbeat is silenced. A life is lost. And far too frequently, this happens on the highway everyday.

Driving is a privilege, not a right, yet every day people put their lives and the lives of others at risk. The worth of driver education in avoiding traffic fatalities cannot be overemphasized. It is not necessarily learning to parallel park or stopping at a stop sign; it is learning what it means to have a two-thousand-pound vehicle where so many children, parents, and loved ones ride. Good driver training teaches sensitivity, composure, and instant judgment decisions that will save or kill. It is the difference between arriving home safely in our driveway or not making it there at all.

Beyond our car windows is more than a blur of earth; it is a universe of human life, as fragile as our own. And yet, year after year, there are thousands of families standing in the hospital waiting room, hearts pounding in fear, because someone chose to text instead of keeping eyes on the road, to drive faster instead of slowing down, to drive drunk instead of calling a taxi. The numbers are staggering. As reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022 alone, close to 43,000 individuals in the United States died as a result of motor vehicle crashes. That is 43,000 broken dreams, 43,000 chairs left vacant at dinner tables, 43,000 silences that cannot be heard anymore.

So what is the solution? The answer is both simple and complex. Stronger driver’s education must be offered, with greater emphasis on defensive driving, the dangers of distraction, and the cost of negligence. Harsher penalties for repeat offenders and DUIs must be imposed. Sophisticated technologies such as lane departure warning systems and automatic brakes must be standard equipment on all vehicles. Public campaigns have to be as frequent as the ones warning us against smoking or drug consumption because, in fact, lethal driving is just as deadly.

But the true change begins with us.

I have never had a serious car accident, but I have seen irresponsible driving up close. I have sat in the passenger seat beside a friend who accelerates through an intersection as the light turns red, laughing at the thrill. I have watched a family member look at their phone while they drive on a congested highway, oblivious to the bare danger of being distracted. I have clenched my fists as the words pile up in my throat but never gained courage to say them. And at those times, I have failed. I have failed because I did not act. I failed because I did not speak up. I failed because I allowed a dangerous habit to persist. And I cannot allow myself to fail again.

We must hold ourselves accountable. We have to be the ones who put our phones down, who say no to speeding, who never get behind the wheel drunk. We have to be the ones who say something to our friends, to make them slow down, to take their idiotic habits seriously, to remind them that their life is worth more than a momentary rush. We have to be the ones who choose responsibility over convenience, safety over pride, life over stupidity.

As I gaze into the future of my own driving career, I am determined to be better. I will do everything within my power, not just for myself, but for the thousands of others who share the roads with me. I will never text and drive, knowing that no message is worth the cost of a life. I will respect speed limits, understanding that they exist for a reason. I will never allow pride to cloud my judgment, recognizing that taking an Uber or calling a friend is far better than making a fatal mistake.

But most importantly, I will use my voice. I will not be quiet anymore in the presence of reckless driving. I will not let the fear of confrontation consume me as the risk of loss of life is more important. If I see someone driving recklessly, I will speak up, because their life–and everyone’s on the road–is worth speaking up for.

The human heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day. It’s up to us to make every beat continue, every life secure. Because every person behind every steering wheel has hopes, has families waiting back at home for them, and has a future that shouldn’t be robbed by a single moment of recklessness. We have the power to choose for safety, prevent tragedy, and let those heartbeats continue. And that power starts now.