Driver’s Safety Is Important. I Know, Because I Thought My Friend Died.

Samantha
Miller

5/29/2020

When
Washington State went on lockdown due to Covid-19, incidents of
street racing and drifting increased, since so few people crowded the
roads. I grew up as “one of the boys,” spending high school
surrounded by car culture and people who thought The
Fast and Furious
were good movies. I had been desensitized to the “live fast die
young” mindset of these boys who believed themselves to be
invincible. During one of our weekly quarantine calls, my cousin said
that she saw a motorcyclist speeding up Benson street, going over
100mph, while a car ahead was making a legal left turn but did not
see the motorcyclist. The motorcycle practically tore the sedan in
half, killing the rider instantly and injuring the car’s driver. My
heart dropped and I immediately called my best friend – a
motorcyclist who lived on that street, who I had known to be a
reckless speeder from time to time. When he answered the phone, all I
could do was thank God that he had not been the man who died.

Drivers ed is important in reducing the number of deaths
because of driving, especially with the younger generations, because
everyone seems to have this notion of “that would never happen to
me.” Of course, I am guilty of having thought the same thing at one
point. I have been the passenger in cars going well more than double
the speed limit or driven by intoxicated drivers when I had no other
ride home. Statistics and drivers ed car crash videos are
necessary to convey the very bleak reality that anyone’s life could
be over in an instant because all it takes is one fatal mistake. I
feel that driving is often seen as a rite of passage, rather than a
privilege and a responsibility.

We
can all do little things to prevent deaths from driving-related
accidents. Putting your phone on airplane mode or turning them off
could be helpful to minimize distracted driving. Making playlists
before getting in the car prevents excessive time spent looking at
the screen indecisively. Something people often forget is that
driving while sleepy or emotional can diminish one’s alertness and
awareness of surroundings, and it is important to only get behind the
wheel when well-rested and level-headed. Anytime someone is driving
an unfamiliar vehicle, they should take a few moments to establish
things like their blind spots and turn radius. Take your friends’
keys when they are intoxicated, no matter how upset it might make
them, and offer to call them a ride. Spending a few dollars on an
Uber is worth it if it means your friend stays alive.

Having
these conversations helps more than we probably realize, even if they
can seem hard and uncool. I plan on telling the people around me just
how much I love them, and if they loved me, they would drive safer so
they will always make it home.