Having an Impact, Not a Collision.

The stench of the airbags post-crash and repetitive chime of the vehicle’s hazard lights make the wide-eyed girls realize what happened. Nothing could have prepared us for 2.2 tons of steel crashing into us. Just two minutes ago, we were maneuvering through the busiest street in town: singing and laughing to Queen’s “Cool Cat”. Climbing out of the driver’s side, we collapse into each other: petrified from the lone thought of losing one another that day. We donned seatbelts. We unplugged from technology distractions. We drove defensively–and it ultimately saved our lives.

Oftentimes, drivers ed classes teach students how to get from Point A to Point B (sounds fitting, right?). However, training new drivers to navigate defensively could drastically reduce the number of deaths induced by driving. To drive defensively is to not depend on the community of drivers around you. To “save time, lives, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others” (NSC). As drivers, we cannot subconsciously expect other drivers to operate vehicles at the same standards we do. In times where we would completely halt at a stop sign, other drivers would illegally run that same sign. Driving defensively allows for the prediction of accidents before they happen, the prevention of inflated insurance rates, and the preservation of human lives.

To reduce deaths in car crashes nationally, legislation changes need to occur, technology systems in cars need to be advanced, and the incentivization of reckless driving needs to be abolished: especially in younger generations. Distracted driving fines cost anywhere from $20-$1000–varying in each state. Said penalties are practically never assigned, due to the lack of enforcement by state governments. In 2018, 4,637 people died as a result of distracted driving, and the number will continue to skyrocket until law enforcement begins to assign fines left and right. Legislation could also contribute to the advancement of technology in cars today. By providing grants to car manufacturers, better safety systems will prosper–aiding in the reduction of distracted drivers. Backup cameras, lane-change sensors, and development of phone-simulating consoles have donated to the tally of countless lives saved. Social media’s substantial rise is undoubtedly to blame for the incentivization of reckless driving. Snapchat’s, quite controversial, MPH filter actively encourages the youth to drive as fast as possible to compete with peers in a contest-like way. Although Snapchat is legally only responsible for creating the filter and not the users’ actions–as of 2016, 2,865 deaths have occurred, and the filter still thrives on the platform.

To aid others in road awareness, I suspect reminding others that we are vulnerable is essential. Looking back in my camera roll, I often visit the date of my wreck. The day begins with goofy pictures taken during lunch break and ends with a picture of my friend and I crying in an ambulance. Learning defensive driving through drivers ed altered my life. The only solution to the rising trend of deaths is awareness.