We have the power to be our lifesavers.

We have the power to be our lifesavers.

Like every other Friday, I stayed back at school to watch my schools’ football team play. This Friday however turned out to not be like every other. I remember looking at one of the cheerleaders and seeing an expression of scaredness. I asked her what was wrong and she said that three of our classmates were involved in a car crash, a huge car crash. Fortunately, despite the completely totaled car, minor concussions, and stitches that were needed, all three of them survived. And you know what, all three of them had seatbelts. There are so many things that can be done to prevent the loss of our lives. Simply taking a quick second to implement steps to ensure driver safety can be life-changing; we’d have a higher chance of seeing another day, something that many no longer have access to.

Unfortunately, the reality of the many teens who are involved in life-threatening car crashes continues to increase. Hearing of what had happened to my three classmates, I was intensely shocked but when I thought deeper of it, it began to dawn on me that instances like these are extremely common around the world. In 2017, approximately 3,726 deaths occurred from car crashes within Texas. Additionally, there was an approximate total of 211,803 car crashes involving drivers under the age of 21. These numbers account for only teens and young adults in Texas, which is tremendous but then again doesn’t compare to the number of Car Crashes in America as a whole which approximates to 6 million. We as teens and future young adults have the power to be our lifesavers, all it takes is constantly engaging in driver safety.

To start, we could simply put on our seatbelts the moment we sit down in the car. My three teammates survived what could have been a horrific crash because they had their seatbelts on. Without those seatbelts, it would’ve been extremely likely that they all would have flown out of the car possibly facing death, but with the seatbelt holding them back into safety, their lives were spared. Putting on our seatbelts is of utter importance. When you think about it, in certain states it is illegal to drive without a seatbelt. States like Texas impose fines when citizens are found to be driving without seatbelts. However, when we think about it, states like Texas don’t institute seat belt legislation just to force hand and power, it’s done because they care for our safety. With enforcing seat belts there is a higher percentage of our safety being guaranteed, avoiding the tragedy of death. Putting on our seatbelts takes nothing but two seconds, those two seconds are worth everything in comparison to years of grieving for ourselves and other family members. Although, the reality of the fact is that even with those laws and regulations, some still are reluctant to put on their seatbelts or even sometimes just forget. However, I encourage those in the passenger seats to remind our drivers to put on their seatbelts or even put them on for them before sitting in their seats. Seatbelts are important and action needs to be taken to prevent the rising number of deaths.

If you truly love your loved ones, you’ll stop texting them or calling while they’re on the road. Unfortunately, many teens and young adults are caught up in car crashes because of the usage of their phones while on the road. They’re distracted and at times don’t even see how distracted they are. Many times these teens and young adults are on the phone with or texting their friends or family, all people that care deeply about them. However, we as loved ones must take initiative and ensure that we make sure we’re not texting or calling our loved ones when they are on the road by saying something like “let me know when you get home” so that they’re not texting you or constantly checking their phone to see if you have responded to their text. As drivers we can, if possible, put our phones on “do not disturb” or simply turn them off when we’re on the road so that we’re not tempted to pick them up and scroll through texts or social media. Our attention needs to be fully on the road and with our technology, on hand, we risk ending our lives.

Have backup plans when you’re going to party. Nearly 10,000 driving deaths that occur every year are caused by driving while intoxicated. It is never a bad thing to go out and have a little fun. Understandably, at times we get carried away, however, we must prepare for instances where we may not be in the proper state to drive back home. We can prepare by bringing along a friend that we know won’t be drinking so they can take us back home or we can plan for an uber to pick us up at a certain time to take you back home. When we’re under the influence of alcohol it becomes difficult to focus and make proper choices so it is beyond crucial that we make plans before to ensure that we are not drinking and driving leading to an ending to fun nights in the face of death. Any amount of alcohol can obscure the focus we have so even if you’re going out thinking you’re taking a small sip of alcohol make sure to make plans because the small drop of alcohol can lead to large life-threatening accidents.

If you have somewhere to be, leave the house on time so that you’re not rushing and worrying about beating the speed limit to reach your destination. Driving past the speed limit only increases the chances of losing control of your car and when we lose control of our car we end up in harsh car crashes. At the age of 6, on my way to my cousin’s graduation, my family got involved in a bad car crash at the fault of the other driver speeding and losing control of the car. I remember the airbag going off and waking up to paramedics pulling me and my mom out of the car and into the ambulance. Thankfully we had survived, however not many families can attest to that miracle. Driving past the speed limit isn’t against the law in states like Texas for no reason, but for the reason, that driving over the speed limit prevents citizens’ safety.

The rising number of deaths regarding car crashes is our upsetting reality. However, we have the potential to reduce those numbers and it needs to happen fast. I don’t want to be the next victim, I don’t want my friends or family to be the next victim and I don’t want you to be the next victim. Therefore, we need to take action and follow these driver safety rules. You and I can take certain steps to increase our likelihood of reaching our destination in one safe piece and I hope from today henceforward we take control and make changes to our driving habits. I hope that after reading this you’ll be influenced to choose today to be your life saver.