Save a Life! Wear a Seat-belt!

Hello, today I would like to discuss the importance of reducing dangerous driving habits with understanding real drivers safety. I think we all were excited to turn 16 and get the privilege to obtain our driver’s license. I say the word “privilege” because having a driver’s license shouldn’t be taken lightly, it is a huge turnging point in a teens lives and ultimately shows their maturity level, and this “privilege” can be taken away if used recklessly. I don’t even know if I understood the importance of safe driving until my older brother and little sister were involved in a car accident themselves.

I would like to start off by saying, my family and I are as close as they get. We are together 24/7 and I wouldn’t want it any other way. On the first day of the new year of 2019, my brother and little sister decided they wanted to go get some chinese food and bring it back for everyone’s supper. It had been raining all day, and the roads were still wet. They left, and my mom and I were cleaning the house and taking down the Christmas tree. It wasn’t even 20 since they had left and my mom, who was on call that holiday for work, had a random number pop up on her phone. She answered, and the person on the other line told her that her two kids were involved in a crash about 10 minutes away from our house.

That 10 minute drive to the scene felt like it took hours to get there. When we arrived we saw that my brother’s truck was wrapped around a pole and completely totaled, and they were pulling my sister out the window. My brother suffered a concussion, and my sister had a broken arm, and severe nerve damage. But, it could have been way worse. Come to find out, no one in the vehicle had a seatbelt on, because “the chinese restaurant was only a little ways away.” There is no excuse for not wearing your seatbelt. I remember being so angry at them because I couldn’t understand how they forgot to do the most important thing while riding in a vehicle. That has forever scared me when thinking about this incident.

The following year after my brother and sisters accident, I went to Drivers Ed to prepare myself for my time to drive. I remember in the course we learned about several different horror stories that had occurred behind the wheel because of people’s selfish actions. Whether it be because of alcohol use, phones, or just not paying attention, people were hurt and some were killed. Sadly, these were real people whose lives were taken away from them. There’s not a day that goes by that when I drive I don’t think about what happened to my siblings or those stories from Driver’s Ed. It is vital to be focused on the road, not just for yourself, but for others around.

After that day, I have never taken riding in a vehicle lightly. Everytime I get it, I put on my seatbelt and then make sure everyone else has got theirs one as well. When listening to music in the car, I make sure I have a designated playlist so I never have to pick up my phone to change the music. Also, If I receive a phone call while driving, if I can’t answer it through my radio, I make sure to wait till the next time I stop. Some of my friends don’t get why I wait, but it only takes a second for you to look down and lose control of the vehicle. I never want to put my family in the position of losing me because of my selfish needs, or put another family at loss if I hurt their son or daughter. The good thing is, social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so you can wait til you get to a safe place to check your phone.

Ultimately, everyone needs to do their part and participate in non-distracting driving, because it will save several lives each year.Unfortunately, someone passes from a car accident everyday, and it is important we start reducing the statistics now. Social media and phone use is only going to get worse as the years go on, so we need to start now. Don’t take away from your family or another family to answer a text, because it will never be worth it in the end. Thank you so much for reading my statement on the importance of putting down the phone when driving!