One Life at a Time

One
Life at a Time

More
than 90 people die from car accident fatalities in the U.S. every
single day. Around 2 million drivers in car accidents experience
permanent injuries every year (DriverKnowledge). With such staggering
figures, it is imperative to ask what can be done to end this
unnecessary loss of lives. In creating awareness of the seriousness
of such accidents, it is important to accurately understand the
severity of the consequences. People often neglect to think of the
children, parents, or spouses left behind who are left to shoulder
not only the financial burden, but the emotional toll of losing a
loved one. In such situations it is difficult to accurately measure
the magnitude and effect that simply one car accident can have.

A
large component in decreasing the loss of lives is creating
awareness. Educating
young student drivers about the importance of driving with focus and
the consequences of any other option is imperative to stopping the
amount of accidents per year. It is important to make sure they
understand the severity of their actions as they grow to be the next
generation of drivers and account for the highest percentage of
driver crashes (NHTSA). Professional driving educators also provide
much more in-depth and thorough driving lessons than perhaps parents,
siblings, or friends can provide. They have the ability and
opportunity as professional to encourage young student drivers to be
more careful and focused on the roads, not only for themselves, but
for others.

I
will never forget the time my older sister was in a car accident. The
new car which she had just purchased was completely flipped and
destroyed in the accident. By no fault of my sister’s own, a
distracted driver t-boned her on a major road in our hometown. As I
was away for college at the time, I was horrified to get the phone
call from my mother and to see the ensuing photos of my sister’s
car. I am so incredibly thankful every day that my sister was not
killed in the accident and only suffered a broken arm and some
emotional trauma. My sister suffered emotional trauma and had to be
laid-off from work for over two months while her arm healed because
of the improper and distracted driving of another.

For
myself, and others, I challenge us to no longer sit idly by when we
see this type of behavior. Speak up, stand out. Do not allow friends
or family to text while driving. Do not influence them in distracted
behaviors, in substance abuse, or eating on the road. Encourage
friends and family to be properly educated on the consequences and
preventative measures of distracted driving. By caring for those
close to us, we inadvertently care for the safety of others on the
road. Do not let your family or friends be an addition to car
accident statistics. We each individually can make a difference and
decrease the number fatal driving crashes one life at a time –
starting right in our own homes.