Drive Right, Save Lives

Christina
Gama, Freshman

June 18, 2019

Drive
Right, Save Lives

Human beings are an
interesting species, to say the least. Yet more than that, we are
impactful. We love and we hate; we hope and we fear. More
often than not, these factors influence our actions and the way we
live our lives. Whether it be from experience, observation, or time –
we begin to behave with the flow of what our day-to-day consists of.
With that being said, there comes a sense of common belief that when
horrible things happen to others, we think to ourselves, “nothing
bad/like that would ever happen to me.” Oh, how more wrong
could that be. Given our tendency to be very habitual beings, it’s
understandable that after some time, we become so comfortable that we
begin to take less and less safety measures. Although understandable,
it is unacceptable – as we should never stop being as careful as we
can, especially on the road.
Along with that, we’ve become so
accustomed to feeling safe in cars because they are the most widely
used form of daily transportation. We forget that not only are cars
the most dangerous form of transportation; but that they
become even more hazardous if the driver is distracted, distant, or
under the influence. It is estimated that an average of 3,287 people
die per day and an estimated 1.25 million people die per year
as a product of car accidents. Those are just several reasons why it
is absolutely crucial to maintain an understanding of the issues that
result due to careless driving, and to always be prepared in the
possibility that it may happen to you, too. Remaining a responsible
driver while on the road can literally result in life and death; and
though you cannot control the actions of others, you can
control what you do, how you drive, and your
level of commitment to attention while driving. You never know who’s
doing or thinking what on the road, and it’s almost impossible to
tell if another driver is actually attentive to their surroundings –
so isn’t it worth your life to make sure you’re doing what you
can and need to, in case they aren’t?
In the last year, I’ve
had two of my best childhood friends die as a result of reckless
driving. One of them was in the passenger seat without a seatbelt
while the driver was under the influence, and was thrown from the car
through the windshield – with his body being split in half. My other
friend was going way too fast, and crashed. He had immediate, intense
brain damage and died as a result of his injuries. Though their
actions directly resulted in their demise, it doesn’t change the
fact that now they’re gone – forever. Lives cut short all because
they couldn’t be more careful and considerate; as well as living
under the false pretense that they would be okay because they always
were after being on the road. Senseless deaths, if you ask me, but
nevertheless – deaths. I will never be able to wish a “Happy
Birthday” on them again. I won’t ever see them get married and
have children. I will never be able to see what would become of them.
And if that’s not one of the saddest tragedies in life, I don’t
know what is.
As well as that, I attended a M.A.D.D. seminar for
an event unrelated to drinking while driving, and though I hadn’t
been among the crowd of those that did drink and drive – it
still broke my heart. Witnessing mothers mourn over the loss of their
children because of drunk drivers. Hearing them speak of how their
lives changed forever, and not for the better, in the blink of an
eye. Listening to them admit that they may never truly understand why
this would happen to them and their children. Though the organization
has made quite an impact in the community, having saved an estimated
380,000 lives since 1940 – they will always feel something like a
hole in their heart, for the loved ones they’ve lost too early in
life. Whether it be from drunk driving, or driving recklessly due to
distractions – there is no excuse for taking another life. Accidents
are accidents, but how long can you label something an accident when
you could have prevented it?
Some steps you may pursue in order
to be a more careful driver are simple and easy ideas, and may very
well one day save a life. First and foremost, strap on your seatbelt.
If you have a hard time remembering to do so, maybe put a sticker or
something of the sort on it, or use a seatbelt cover to direct your
attention to its importance. Also, make it a priority to put your
phone in your glovebox or another compartment while driving. In
addition to that, you may download an app you can put “in-drive”
mode, and let it block notifications and things of that nature while
you’re driving. If you’re feeling sleepy, distracted, or distant,
you can do things like listen to a song on the radio to alleviate
anxiety and turn up the volume at an appropriate level to help you
stay alert. You may also turn up the air and allow a cool breeze to
blow in your face, as well as roll down your window(s). If at some
point you’re not confident enough in your ability to pay attention
and drive in your state of mind, you can simply pull over somewhere
and collect yourself. At the end of the day, no matter what was on
your mind – your life is most important – and what you were
thinking about wouldn’t matter much anyways if something were to
happen because you were distracted. Even worse than death, I think,
is spending life in a hospital bed, living – but not being
alive.
Furthermore, if you believe someone else in your
life needs help with being a better driver, you can go about that by
informing them of what you know about irresponsible driving.
You can show them statistics, or you can confide in them, and let
them know how much you care about them – and that you wouldn’t ever
wish to lose them over something like this. You can ask them to take
safe driving pledges with you, as well as possibly download
safe-driving apps.It would be yet another sad, sorry story, if one
lost their life due to being irresponsible or not paying attention –
while doing something as simple as going from “point A to point B.”

You don’t want to live a life in regret because of something
that would only take a “matter of minutes,” and you don’t want
to lose your life by living in a willing
ignorance.

Statistics for Car Accident Related Deaths Per
Day and Year –
https://asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/
Statistics for
M.A.A.D. Saved Lives Over Several Decades –
https://www.madd.org/statistics/