Name: Austin Truex
From: Kearney, Nebraska
Votes: 0
Senior
year is supposed to be a time of wonder, growth, and moving on. My
last year of high school, however, was a struggle, more so than it
should have been. One rainy afternoon, while on my way home, I was
stopped in the turning lane of a busy road. I glanced at my rearview
mirror, sensing movement in my peripheral vision. The following noise
will haunt me for the rest of my life–a sickening crunch as the car
behind me failed to brake before ramming into my bumper. I spent the
next month recovering from a concussion, whiplash, and mild trauma to
my left arm. My car was totaled, my brain was struggling, and my
senior year dreams were rapidly being washed away in the rain.
Even
prior to my accident, I was an active leader within an organization
called Teens in the Driver’s Seat. Alongside my local team and
adult sponsor, I educated students at my high school about the
dangers of distracted driving, not wearing a seat belt, and more. I
also helped plan and operate the first ever Nebraska Teen Safe
Driving Summit hosted in my hometown. I served on an open panel
discussion for participants of the summit. I was also involved with
the group on the national level, reporting to headquarters at the
Texas Technological Institution as a member of the National Teen
Advisory Board for Teens in the Driver’s Seat.
After
my accident, I wanted to do more to educate people about the dangers
of distracted driving. With resources from Teens in the Driver’s
Seat, I helped lead a study called “Don’t Drive InTEXTicated,”
which examined the effects of driving while texting. Driving on an
obstacle course made up of cones, the participants of the project had
to navigate through once while driving and once while texting and
driving. Our study found that our subjects, all high school seniors,
hit 31% more cones while texting and driving. We published our data
and held safe driving rallies at our school to promote safer driving
choices. Our studies, including surveys and observations of students
before and after our educational sessions, proved that educating
people reduced the likelihood of future dangerous driving activities.
Such education is essential if we wish to decrease the number of
deaths that occur each year as a result of car accidents.
I
believe that accidents are bound to happen, as we are all human, but
the frequency of such accidents could be severely decreased if people
take the time to understand the risks that come with driving. By
educating others and practicing safe driving habits ourselves, we can
prevent many heartaches from loss of loved ones, headaches from
injury, and aches from the financial and legal aspects of car
crashes. I was fortunate enough to emerge from my accident with my
life, but not everyone is so lucky. We must take action, drive
responsibly, and focus on educating others about safe driving to make
the world a better place.
