Vincible

Students believe they are invincible. They live as though nothing will happen to them. When they hear of an accident caused by a driver using their phone, they tell themselves it will never happen to them and that they can check their notifications and drive safely at the same time. They are indestructible. I used to believe this too and I think the only way to encourage students to not participate in dangerous driving habits is to humble them with stories of accidents that happen to ordinary people like them. It is important to convince them that they aren’t invincible, and anything can happen in the blink of an eye.

I, however, have my own story.

“It doesn’t look good.” I didn’t need the Doctor to say ‘It doesn’t look good,” because I was standing there looking at my brother, his swollen body, breathing tube down his throat, and wires coming out of his head. He was the victim of an inattentive driver who hit him and ran. For a month, my family waited for a hopeful word from the doctor that our family member would have some sort of normal life after this. Over the next 9 months of rehabilitation, my brother wasn’t anywhere near his old self, and neither was I. When I visited my brother in the brain injury hospital, I was surrounded by hundreds of victims of car accidents. I was exposed to the horrific effects of dangerous driving habits, and it changed me. The only way to change people’s thinking is through exposure to the realities of lives changed by car accidents.

Bruising.

Whiplash.

Concussion.

Brain Injury.

Memory loss.

Spinal Injury.

Paralysis.

Death.

All these can occur from a car accident. And these are just physical injuries. No one talks about the loss of friends and the years of therapy following the accident. It is difficult to quantify the emotional toll on loved ones. Victims and families become slaves to their accident—and the permanent effects left behind. It is so important to educate new drivers about car accidents. They need to know the stories, not just the stats. Every number has a story that can be used to encourage safer driving. No matter how big or small, they can make an impact on new drivers.

My brother’s accident was the mark in my life when I realized how vincible I really am. I told myself I would never pick up my phone again while driving.

Unfortunately, some students don’t know the effects until they are in an accident themselves.

The only way to appeal to these students is to show them the brutal testimonies of the people whose lives have been altered by car accidents. They need to understand the burden of car crashes, not just the immediate effects. Show them videos of people in rehab who aren’t anywhere near their old selves—those who can’t feed themselves, walk, or express what they need. Better yet, let them hear these stories live. It should be mandatory for every new driver to attend a live testimony of a car crash victim. I just hope my story can reach and impact at least one driver. And I hope that by winning this scholarship, my story reaches more people than I could ever imagine.

On August 24, 2018, my brother Jared—then 19—got hit by an SUV. He was at James Madison University a couple days before the start of his sophomore year in college. It was in all the newspapers. He was in the hospital in Charlottesville for a month and in Atlanta for 8 months. He now lives at home—in the bedroom next to mine. And he requires almost constant attention. This is what we waited for over the last 10 months, but it’s different than expected. Waiting was excruciating at first, but I learned to appreciate it. The “waiting” part was where I grew the most. I learned that there was so much more to life than the endless stresses of school and the money I was failing to save. I learned how to better understand the world and those around me. I learned how to be a safer driver as a result.

It’s stories of these victims and their families like mine that can make the difference. Only these stories will make these students truly believe they could be the ones in the hospital bed. Only these stories will make them want to put their phones down and pay attention to the road.