A World Of Collision

A World of Collision

Driver education is one of the most important ways many can perform better acts in assistance to driving. As we all know, no one will ever be better at something if they do not practice and/or have someone giving them advice. The same goes for driving. If we do not practice, we cannot get better to become a safer environment. We are challenged to protect each other every single time our hands touch the wheel. It is as important as feeding ourselves food. It is essential to watch over ourselves and others. 

There are many ways to prevent deaths when involved with driving. First, putting down the phone. 1.6 million crashes occur every year when texting and driving. It is one of the biggest distractions we have witnessed in such a Gen Z generation. It is fatal to be looking at our phones not only while driving but everywhere we go. Second, if we are driving, so should our eyes. Our eyes should be focused on every move we make as we make them with our vehicles. Every turn should be looked at as left, right, left. Every straight road should be observed even with the slightest movement. Because without observation throughout the road we could severely hurt others which many would regret the rest of their lives. The five minutes people could wait to text someone back could save someone’s entire life. A life that could one day could go to college and make a career for themselves. Watch their kids grow up to have their own kids. Then they would watch their grandkids grow up. But they died at age 15 crossing the road because somebody answered one text at the wrong time. Now their whole life is gone, their kids never existed, their grandkids never grew up. But now that 15-year-old kid’s parents just lost their child. They will never get them back.

I have personally been in a car accident at the age of 13. I am now 17 and a Senior in High School. Being in 7th grade I thought I was invincible, but I was not. My sister had her permit at the time while driving my dad and me to my first ski race and hit black ice on the highway. We swerved back and forth until finally one of our tires snagged the snow on one end of the road. The truck rolled 3 times about 20 feet in the air and we landed upside down. I crawled out of the shattered window and fast as I could. I did not feel a single nerve in my body for about 45 minutes. In the hospital, my adrenaline was spiking as I started to feel the after-effects of the accident. I could barely stand for about 3 days and my shoulders felt as though concrete blocks were stacked on top of them. All the pain and soreness shifted to my lower back and has not gone away. Many days I could barely stand to walk up and down the stairs. The worst part of the accident was not the pain but the memory. My eyes were open the entire time. I never made it to the ski race and post-traumatic stress was not my friend for a couple of months after the accident. I take the accident as a learning curve though. If I were sitting on the other side of the truck I would have died. Fortunately, everyone walked away with a couple of injuries but nothing serious. If my sister was distracted or driving irresponsibly, I know she could never forgive herself. Although I do not know anyone who drives irresponsibly, I know that guilt would always put a damper on my life. I would never wish that on anyone. 

Steps I can take to be a better driver for me, and others is to always focus on one thing at once. If I am driving, I will be driving. If I am a pedestrian, I will be a pedestrian. But I will always adapt to my surroundings with eyes on the road and on others too. Another would be understanding that people make mistakes. Not everyone is perfect, and people do the wrong thing. Some car accidents happen without purpose. Some do not mean to rear-end another but making sure we keep aware of what is happening is key. To help others, I would always start by making sure they know what is going on. As in what the speed limit is to making calls for them if need be. 

Driving safely is one of the most important things we can do for our community. I take this on a personal level knowing being in a car accident is not all fun and games. We are here to serve each other not just ourselves. I believe being a better and safer driver would do just that.