Pay Attention! It Saves Lives

I remember the terrifying moment of slamming on the brakes and making it into the median of the road before the truck next to me hit my car. I remember praying that my two sisters and dog, who were all in the back, were safe and uninjured.

I had finally gotten my driver’s license and was taking my two younger sisters to dance rehearsal in the middle of the day when a truck that was exciting at a nearby gas station ran into the front end of my mom’s car. I slammed on the brakes and honked my horn. The girl who ran into me was texting and driving. That moment was when I realized that, I not only need to watch my actions while operating a vehicle but also beware of those driving around me because not everyone else abides by the basic rules of the road that are taught in Driver’s Education.

Driver’s Education seemed extremely intimidating and tedious to me when I first started. I saw how many pages I needed to read before I could get my learner’s permit and then how many more I would need to get my license. Some of my friends had already completed their courses and assured me that it was not that bad if I just skipped over the pages and answered the questions when they were given. One of my closest friends actually told me that mastering the knowledge of driver’s ed mattered if you were able to pass your test. (I never rode as a passenger in her car. Ever.) I didn’t feel comfortable skipping over pages though and essentially lying to get my license with no work. That was just not how I was raised, so I began the process of reading and learning and understanding the material that I was being taught and found it quite interesting. I ended up acing my written test and driver’s test, even the dreaded parallel parking. Anyway, one of the most intriguing things that I read through driver’s education was how many people die due to car wrecks every year. It was astonishing, especially the number of wrecks related to distractions, e.g., drinking, texting, eating, etc. However, this massive number was not surprising. I have witnessed, firsthand, the effects of distracted driving. I have been hit by a distracted driver. Both of my parents have been hit by distracted drivers. Some of my friends are distracted drivers. I cannot help but think that my friends would not be as distracted if they had paid attention to the risks of distractedness that were presented through Driver’s Education. Many people are affected by a loved one passing away because of a fatal car wreck, some because of other people’s actions, some because of their own. It is unfortunate that these family members and friends have to suffer for years to come because someone was distracted in some way and killed their loved one. It is heartbreaking. My pediatrician’s son was twelve years old when his life was taken from him by a driver who was distracted. That family is grieving still for the loss of their son, grandson, brother, and friend. And he was one of over three thousand people whose lives have been taken away due to distracted driving. (“Distracted Driving.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 Apr. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html.) I personally will never knowingly drive distracted because I know the pain that is caused by losing someone because of distracted driving. That second of distraction can lead to a lifetime of pain, and it is just not worth it. So, I propose that, if people were more educated on the results of distracted driving and how many deaths are caused by that, the number of fatalities would drop. Maybe in schools, we as a country need to teach in addition to driver’s education, the lifetime effects of these sad circumstances. But, in order to truly bring about change in everyone, each driver needs to decide how they are going to make a change in these statistics because personal change in ourselves may recognized by others and change the way that they think. It is a ripple effect. Just like a smile is contagious, as well as a sneeze, people are made to notice change and good change can bring about great change, and can ultimately change history.

In conclusion, I leave with a few simple questions: How are you going to change your habits to minimize the amount of time that you spend distracted? How are you going to do your part to change the statistics of deaths due to car wrecks?