Name: Margaret Hendrix
From: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Votes: 0
It
was 4:43 a.m. on a Sunday in Clay County, Arkansas. The police report
would later describe road conditions as dry and weather as cloudy. A
Chevy Traverse traveled west on a remote stretch of Highway 84 a few
miles north of Umpire. The driver lost control of the vehicle. It
swerved right then left, cut across the centerline of the empty road,
and plummeted into the dry grass, overturning several times. The 21
year-old driver was hospitalized, along with three passengers, all
local high school students. At 6:10, as the twilight was just
beginning to lift, 19 year-old passenger Rachel was pronounced dead
on the scene.
In
the wake of tragedy, we mourn and pray and watch as our lives fall
apart before us. We carry on, because we know we have to, and in time
we begin to heal. But it isn’t right to stop there. Rachel’s
death wasn’t an isolated occurrence. Just over a month into the
year, her death was the 35th such fatality of 2019 in Arkansas.
According
to the National Safety Council, someone is injured in a car accident
every seven seconds, and over 100 people in the U.S. are killed in
collisions each day. Driving is the leading cause of death for 16 to
24 year-olds, and an average of six teens aged 16 to 19 die in car
accidents per day. These accidents are preventable.
The
most important step drivers can take to reduce the risks associated
with driving is education. However, only 32 states, not including
Rachel’s, require drivers ed. According to a 2015 study
from researchers at the University of Nebraska, drivers ed for
young people is correlated with a 75 percent lower risk of traffic
tickets and a 24 percent lower risk of being involved in an accident
resulting in injury or death. Not only do drivers ed programs
teach the skills required to drive, but they also cover topics such
as safety and responsibility while providing opportunities for new
drivers to practice and study skills and traffic laws in a controlled
setting with qualified instructors.
As
drivers, we must take the initiative to continuously learn more about
safe driving. With a strong set of skills, we must also take
responsibility for practicing good habits. Being attentive behind the
wheel, respecting speed limits and traffic laws, and minimizing
distractions are important actions to take every time we drive.
Like
any skill, good driving requires education, practice, and discipline.
Our response to tragedies like Rachel’s death should not only be
grief, but also a determined and concerted effort to avoid future
collisions. It is our responsibility to be informed, careful, and
thoughtful drivers to reduce the risk of preventable accidents.
