I Was Only Ten

I will never forget my first near-death experience at just ten years old. During a family summer vacation in North Carolina, I visited a friend when my stepfather returned to pick me up and take me back to the hotel where my mom and my little brother were. I knew my stepfather loved to drink, but I did not know how much he had a problem until I got in the car with him. First, he outran a motorcycle. Then, he ran over a curb, and lastly, he ran a red light. As he sped through the intersection, another car came in a perpendicular direction to my right and missed colliding with us by a hair. A few seconds difference, and we would have been gone instantly. I still vividly remember clutching my seatbelt, praying that I would safely make it back to the hotel in one piece, for that was all I wanted. Since that fearful night, I knew I never wanted to be the reason people fear for their lives when getting behind the wheel, as the anxiety of making it home is something no one should experience.

Part of why there are so many death-related car accidents is merely a resort of vehicle incompetence and the lack of driver education. With the amount of anti-drinking and driving ads, campaigns, and even organizations, most would think it has become common knowledge never to drink and drive. Yet, there are still people like my stepfather, who holds over 30 DUIs, that do not think about the outcomes of their actions and continue to repeat the same mistakes on the road. Drinking while driving is the cause of a record number of fatal car accidents, along with the lack of driver’s education. While it may be surprising, several people do not know the legal BAC standard, how to properly check their blindspots when merging or changing lanes, or even when and how to properly use their turn signals, which is crucial for drivers to know to keep others safe. Not enough people ensure that they are aware of all of their decisions while driving, and missing one small step can cause a catastrophic outcome.

The number of fatal car accidents may make the future of driving safety look grim. However, in reality, we can take more minor steps to create a significant difference in death tolls as opposed to the major steps we have already taken. Outlawing drinking and driving was a huge step for many of those impacted by drunk drivers; however, the efforts cannot stop there. There are still many mistakes drivers make daily. As a driver now myself, I know numerous people who claim to either rarely or never check their blindspots when passing or merging due to the lack of awareness and knowledge about them, which is exceedingly dangerous. Forgetting what may seem like little steps while driving causes catastrophic and fatal accidents that we can easily avoid. We are so often warned about “cutting corners,” yet when it comes to driving, we go as far as overlooking our corners, assuming that everything will be okay every time, when that is not the case, as the number of fatalities due to car accidents demonstrates.

Graciously, I nor any of my immediate family or close friends have ever been in a fatal car accident. My worst recount is from a good friend who somehow survived a head-on collision with a drunk driver on the interstate. Every day, she is thankful to be alive without sustaining any life-threatening injuries, and her family has since pressed charges against the individual who hit her. While I am grateful my family and friends have remained safe, I have far too many stories about individuals I once knew or were familiar with who were taken from the face of the earth too soon due to the carelessness of either themselves or others. A story that still breaks my heart is about four high school students from my graduating class, one of whom I vaguely knew, who got into a fatal car accident late at night with a man speeding grossly over the speed limit, trying to outrun the police. Only one person survived the crash. The others never got to graduate with the rest of us. Tragic stories like the ones from my community and from all over the country encourage me to take extra caution to be a safe driver.

I applaud myself for the steps I already take behind the wheel daily to save many lives, including my own. Whenever I get in a car, whether the driver or the passenger, I make sure I buckle up. I never have nor will I ever pick up a drink or my phone behind the wheel of a vehicle, as I value my life and the lives of others far too much to do so. Still, as someone who got their driver’s license roughly a year and a half ago, I know there likely is still much I need to perfect when it comes to driving and more steps I could and should take to ensure the safety of myself and others around me. I can admit that I could be more aware and cautious of my surroundings when driving, as sometimes I get wrapped up in the music I am playing and become distracted. We all make mistakes occasionally, but I never want to repeat what happened when I was ten years old, nor do I want to be the cause of someone else’s untimely demise. Therefore, I am willing to do the necessary to avoid the unthinkable.