Back to Basics

Back
to Basics

When
we arrived to the scene a group of people were standing a few feet
away from the accident and lights were flashing from the patrol cars.
“What happened?” I asked as I walked up to the rest of the group.
“He…He had only had a few drinks” one person stammered. “He’s
driven home like this before” another added. I could hear his wife
crying in the background, from what transpired. We stood around and
watched as the firemen and tow man tried to flip the car back over.
The damage was done, and his car was totaled. This all could have
been prevented. If only someone had been responsible enough to call
him a ride or order him an Uber. We’ve all seen the signs on the
highways that read
“Don’t drink and drive”.
Just a few hours before, everyone was out having a good time and
celebrating new accomplishments and now we’re all standing around
watching as our friend gets driven away in an ambulance.

Remember
when you first started driving and your parents or driving instructor
would say always pay attention to your surroundings and always be
alert? Learning to drive was exciting, but made us cautious enough
not to wreck our parents’ car. Taking it back to basics could
reduce the number of deaths resulting in driving because driver’s
education taught us how to drive safely for not only ourselves but
the people around us as well. We learned during our six hour course
exactly what was needed to be a safe and effective driver.

Since
some of us have become some accustomed to driving we often do things
without even realizing it. Some steps we could follow in order to
reduce the number of deaths are: avoid distractions, take note of the
weather conditions and the speeding limit, and never drink and drive.
Phones have become one of the biggest distractions when it comes to
driving. Most people tend to think they are “skilled” enough to
send a text while driving when they don’t realize those few seconds
of not paying attention could result in a casualty. Those texts will
still be there once you’ve made it to your destination so just
wait. The weather and speeding limit is another thing we should be
aware of. Speeding in rainy weather could cause someone’s car to
hydroplane. Never be in a rush to get anywhere, even if you’re late
at least you made it safely. As for the drinking and driving, if you
know you’re going to drink take a Uber or get a designated driver.

After
being in my own fender bender a few years ago, I learned to always
pay attention when I’m behind the wheel. I no longer reach for my
phone when I’m driving instead I wait until my car is in park to
respond to texts or calls. I also hear my mom’s voice when ever I’m
driving saying “pay attention, you’re not just driving for
yourself”.