Just a Simple Moment: Why Driving Safely is Crucial

It only takes a simple moment for someone’s life to turn upside down. No one expects to be put in a dangerous situation when driving to work or school, to the zoo with a group of kids, or to a birthday party or a wedding. Whether it be a young child in the backseat, a mother or father in the driver’s seat, or a sibling in the passenger seat, reckless and careless driving can affect anyone and everyone, of every age, gender, and social standing.

In Driver’s Education, we were all taught the same set of basic rules. Wear a seatbelt. Do not text and drive. Always check your blind spot, even if you checked in your mirrors already. Do not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For my fellow Midwesterners, we were all prompted to turn our brights on at night (when no other cars are present) and to watch for deer. Many are completely aware of all these rules, of course, but taking heed of them seems to be a completely different battle for first time drivers and for those who have been driving for years and years on end. Having some sort of driver’s education course can put all of these rules and fears into perspective. Driving a car all alone or even with a driving instructor is not something that comes easy to most, and it is not something that many teenagers are comfortable with right away. With practice comes comfortability, with comfortability comes the bending of those rules that were drilled into our brains during our driving courses. If that is the case (which it seems to be for most), then stay uncomfortable. Stay safe. Keep the phone away and your eyes up. It is unbelievably important for these rules to not dwindle away in the minds of drivers. What most do not understand is that lives depend on these rules that you hear day in and day out! Some might say: “It’s just a quick drive down the street, what’s the point in wearing a seatbelt?” Some might say: “There is no one else on the road, so I can check my phone for a quick second.” Some might say: “I only had one drink, there’s no need to call an Uber or a Lyft. I have to bring my friends home; none of them are fit to drive, so I have to!” Just like the commercial that we have all watched at least once in our lives says: “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.” Being affected by reckless driving is something that makes you afraid to leave your home and get back in your vehicle. March 22nd, 2014. One of my cousins was killed due to careless driving at only 32 years old. He was texting and driving, along with not wearing a seatbelt. In that simple moment, his life was taken, leaving his two kids without a father, his mother with no son, his sisters with no brother, and his fiancé with no bridegroom. In that simple moment, he made a mistake that legitimately cost him his life. If only he knew the repercussions of what those two actions would bring him in that simple moment. September 22nd, 2020. It was a normal day at Brandon Valley High School in Brandon, South Dakota. I was in first period Algebra II when the principal went on the intercom and addressed the students. He stated that one of the freshmen died in a car accident that previous night. He was only fourteen years old. I learned later through the social media of his fellow classmates that while driving, he was not wearing a seatbelt. In just that simple moment, his life was gone, his mother and father’s hearts were left shattered, and the student body of our high school, whether we knew him or not, became saddened by this terrible news. Why him? Why now? I could not believe how affected I was by this news, considering I had never met him before. All I wanted to do was meet his family and console them, and wished I could tell them everything would be alright, even though it would not. A multitude of lives were changed in that simple moment. May 8th, 2021. A close friend of mine was involved in a deadly automobile accident. She was simply getting a ride home from work with a couple friends, when a car came bursting through an intersection, running a red light as they were trying to turn. The car hit the vehicle my friend was riding in, leaving two of the four passengers dead. She was left with a fractured pelvis, a broken left arm, twelve fractured ribs on her left side, and had to have a toe removed due to the skin being completely gone. She was left on a ventilator for days, having to endure a countless amount of surgeries. Hearing this from my choir director at school on a day I thought would be completely normal, I was shaken to my core. In the middle of class, tears started to fall from many of the eyes in the room, including myself. I could not believe that someone could make that thoughtless decision to run a red light crossing an intersection going 100 miles per hour. Through the grace of God, she survived and is doing amazing; she is walking and made it through every physical therapy appointment. My friend’s life was turned upside down, and everything she ever knew was flipped on its head, in that simple moment.

Through these experiences and tragedies of those close to me, I have realized that there is extreme selfishness when it comes to driving and the actions that come with it. Some drivers do not take into account that what they do can affect others on the road; through car accidents and injuries, there is a grapevine effect that trickles down further and further. Accidents and carelessness do not affect just one person, but many. Friends, family, parents, advisors, teachers, pastors, and random strangers. I am forever thankful that the rules taught in driver’s education are enforced by many, even though it will never be enforced through all. Little by little, new generations of drivers can start and continue to make a difference and work towards decreasing automobile accidents in the United States, and anywhere else in the world. It may seem like a small drop in a bucket as big as the universe, but we should never doubt the difference that people are capable of making when it comes to road safety and driving conscientiously. Next time you get behind the wheel, remember the significance of a simple moment. Wear a seatbelt. Do not text and drive. Always check your blind spot. Do not drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Watch for deer. Think of those driving around you, and think of their families before you pick up your cell phone or choose a new song on your playlist. Recognize and look back on the fact that all car accidents have one thing in common. They all happened in just one simple moment.