Name: Mya Borsheim
From: Spirit Lake, Iowa
Votes: 0
Imagine
this, your parents are sitting on the couch late at night watching TV
and waiting for you to come home. A sudden knock on the door startles
them and when they answer it’s a local officer. He takes his hat
off and with tears running down his face as he tell your parents you
were in a fatal car accident. One parent breaks down and sobs
uncontrollably while the other tries to stay strong and comfort them.
The officer explains to them you were on your phone and going high
speeds along the interstate when there was a patch of black ice that
made your car skid and slide uncontrollably. Your parents will never
be the same and everytime they get into a car or even see one they’ll
think of that night. How their child will never come home to them.
Unfortunately
you are just one of the 40,000 people who die in a car accident every
year. About 4.5 million people get severely injured in car accidents
and are considered the lucky ones. Both these statistics have gone
down 1% in the past year with the education of driver safety and
awareness, but it’s not enough. Everyday you see teenagers and
adults on their phones driving risking the safety of themselves,
their passengers, and other drivers on the road. Educating drivers on
the harm they can cause to others is vital in reducing the number of
deaths and injuries involving car accidents. More programs and
speeches need to be held in order to raise awareness. Those who lost
a family member or friend and those who killed other while unsafe
driving are the most powerful speakers possible.
I
don’t believe there are specific steps to reduce the number of
deaths from driving, but there are things that could be done. Schools
having more speakers, police officers being more aware of the signs
of an unsafe driver, and teaching drivers how to spot unsafe drivers
on the road. Unsafe drivers are typically swerving from side to side,
changing speeds, and looking down which can all be seen ahead of
time. I think all we can do is preach about safer driving and show
the effects of unsafe driving to decrease the number of car related
deaths.
I
have been in one car accident which resulted in two totaled cars and
I got a concussion. A friend of mine was driving and we pulled up to
an uncontrolled intersection where he proceeded to stop. After
looking both ways he turned left and suddenly the car swerved and
stopped suddenly as my head bashed into the window. Another driver
was coming from the right side of where we first came from and didn’t
stop, admitted to speeding and being on his phone, and was also under
the influence. Luckily I was the only one injured and it was fairly
minor and could be treated swiftly. I see my parents and friends
driving unsafely often and demand they stop and watch the road.
I
remember in drivers ed vowing to never be a distracted driver
because it would not only potentially affect my life but other
people. I have held that vow and never go on my phone while driving.
If I need to make a call or text I tell my passenger to do it or I
pull over to the side of the road. I always want to make sure I come
home to my mom and dad and everyone around me does as well including
friends, classmates, and family members.
