If Only…

If
Only…

By:
Mariah Mata

Five
more minutes, is that too much to ask for? What if I told you a
single life could be saved at the expense of only 5 minutes, would
you then consider taking the time to think about what you’re about
to do? Would you then ask yourself, is this the best option?

Hello,
my name is Mariah Mata I’m a sophomore in high school and I attend
Steele Canyon High School in California. I’ve been born and raised
in San Diego, California my whole life, so car accidents are no
stranger to me. For as long as I can remember there’s only been a
few times that I’ve woken up and not heard about a car accident on
the daily news. As I’ve gotten older and become more aware of the
world around me I’ve noticed the serious issue car accidents really
are. They are no joke and they continue to take our loved ones’
lives over and over again.

This
past summer my family’s faith was tested with a death in our
family. Diego Villegas, a 16 year old with a passion for baseball and
the brightest soul was taken from our family. Taken too young and too
sudden our family was hit with another tragic death. Along with this
tragedy my family’s faith was being tested by god. May I mind you my
family is strong, we get through everything because we have each
other. We’ve all been brought up to never forget where we’ve come
from and to always remember this family is strong through unity. The
minute we become distant with each other, is the same minute we’ll
lose our faith.

I
believe it’s extremely important, for especially teens and young
adults, to know the risks and consequences that come along with
driving. Numbers don’t lie, with this being said take a look at the
numbers explaining how many deaths are due to car accidents in
America, “Nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year,
on average 3,287 deaths a day.” Death due to the road is
outrageous, and to think our loved ones are out on the road for hours
is even more gut wrenching. Driving and getting in a car with someone
involves a major amount of trust. If you’re the one driving your
parents and passengers are trusting in you to be on the road with
thousands of other drivers. They are not only trusting you with your
life but with theirs as well. Distracted driving plays a huge role in
the amount of car accidents that occur everyday. “Roughly, nine
people are killed and more than 1,000 injured daily in accidents in
which at least one driver was distracted.” Most of these distracted
drivers are teens and young adults. Distracted driving is the main
cause for car accidents and it doesn’t always have to be involving
a phone. Driving under the influence, being on the phone, texting,
and even having distractions in the car (like music or friends) are
all things that can potentially cause accidents.

After
having to go through my own experience with a death due to an
accident I push for the knowledge and awareness of the dangers on the
road. Still to this day I think about my cousin and what happened. I
think what if he knew that getting in the car that night would be the
last thing he’d ever do, would that have stopped him? What if he
got a call from one of his parents, siblings, or friends and told
them where he was and what he was doing, could this have saved him? I
wonder if he took five more minutes to think about what he was about
to do, call his mom or dad and ask for a ride home after the party,
would this have saved him? Five minutes, that’s all it takes for
someone to make a life changing decision. If only we all could take
five more minutes to think about the decisions we’re all so quick
to make, to think if the decisions we’re about to make are the best
decisions and if it’s worth our lives, we could save someone and
prevent death due to the road.