The Weight Of A Human Life

The Weight Of A Human Life

Struggling
to stay in my seat as my friend took a left turn at what seemed like
thirty-five miles per hour, I began to ponder whether or not I’d
make it back home that night. We had to construct a popsicle stick
bridge within the next few hours and desperately needed to reach
Hobby Lobby before it closed at eight. Swerving in between cars, he
held his phone in his right hand and the steering wheel in his left.
All for popsicle sticks, not only did he risk our lives, but he
risked the lives of all those around us: sons, daughters, mothers,
and fathers all innocently heading home from work to have dinner with
their loved ones. I went home later that night to be greeted by my
family and my cute little dog, all of whom I may well have never seen
again if my friend took one more glance at Instagram or one more
selfie for Snapchat. Needless to say, I never got in his car again
after that terrifying experience.

In
the weeks after, I found myself more observant regarding what people
were doing in the cars around me. I found most people to be either
swiping on their smartphone or even applying makeup in the morning
with their face pressed up against the sun visor. So, I wasn’t
surprised when I heard that distracted driving is the leading cause
of car accidents. We all hear it when we take our driver’s
education course or when we listen to the news: “Drunk driver kills
family and faces life in prison” or “Distracted driver runs over
a child in the driveway.” However, especially with distracted
driving, it doesn’t seem to faze us. Individuals seem to believe
that they are somehow more skilled at multitasking or have a higher
tolerance of alcohol. I think it’s important for drivers ed
programs to make it clear that they’re wrong. The person that got
sentenced to life in prison for killing a family while driving under
the influence or perhaps taking a selfie on Snapchat also had that
same train of thought. Similar to you, they didn’t intend to cause
an accident. Nobody does, but it still happens, and that’s
horrifying.

Instead
of betting on human lives and risking it all, consider putting into
practice the strategies I’ll outline next, which I personally use.
Download Uber or Lyft and set up an account that’s connected to
your checking account. If you ever find yourself in a situation where
you can’t safely drive yourself, then you can use the service
without having to worry about having cash. Next, place your phone in
the backseat so it’s out of reach. You don’t need to answer the
phone when you’re driving. If someone calls, then pull into a
parking lot. There’s absolutely no reason to be on your phone while
you’re behind the wheel and not parked. If you absolutely need Waze
or Apple Maps, then buy a phone holder. They only cost somewhere
between ten to twenty dollars. Set it up in your car and don’t
touch it after you turn on the directions. Most importantly, leave
early. The last place you want to be in a rush is in your car, a huge
multiton vehicle that becomes more dangerous as it gets faster. If
that means waking up earlier to apply makeup or eat breakfast, then
so be it. The difference between thirty minutes of sleep and human
life is immeasurable

By
the time you’ve finished reading this, multiple accidents have
occurred, someone may have died, and someone may have just sentenced
themselves to a lengthy amount of time in prison. Tonight, you’ll
probably watch the news and notice someone caused and or died in an
accident. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it can’t be you.
Break those habits of applying your makeup in the car, browsing
Instagram in traffic, and changing your Spotify playlist. It’ll be
hard, but the weight of at least one human life rests on your
shoulders every time you drive; carry it responsibly.