Name: Paula Carbin
From: Tulsa, OK
Votes: 0
Serial
Killer on the Rise
No
one ever forgets the sound. The loud crunch of two vehicles as they
collide, creating damage that can be physically repaired but leaving
an emotional scar that lasts a lifetime. The sounds repeat from the
moment it first rings out and it never seems to fade once it has been
made present. As that sounds replays through the walls of your ears,
there is a mental sight that seems to come along with it, a rather
frightening sight that cannot be erased. However, the true
trepidation comes when these noises and sights are first experienced,
especially with which there is a great loss associated. The loss
could range from movement, limbs, or ultimately a loved one. All
carry a great onus, but nothing can compare to the bereavement
someone with great impact and influence in your life.
I
remember being at school, it was a Monday morning in the first
period. My teacher walked into the room along with the principal and
several strangers I had never seen before. Although I had no clue who
they were, the message they carried is one that I will never forget.
They explained to the class the reason for the empty desk in the
room, and low and behold the cause was a text message, drafted but
never sent. The speed of his vehicle, the draft of the text message,
leading to the failure to see and stop at the stop sign, caused my
peer’s life to be cut short. And although I was not present at the
scene, I never got the picture out of my head.
Every
day, I find myself behind the wheel or as a passenger. Like every
time I put myself in that position, I am aware that I am taking a
huge risk of not making it back home. My fault or someone else’s,
wrecks happen daily, and the number one cause is human error. I often
wonder as I encounter vast driving experiences daily, whether or not
some people were enrolled in drivers ed, based on how they
maneuver on the road. The importance of drivers’ education is
becoming more evident as the days go by and the number of deaths due
to car wrecks increases. The more informed drivers are on the
statistics and the actual risks of picking up the phone, drinking,
and distractions, in general, are behind the wheel, certainly the
fewer deaths we will encounter. Drivers’ education must be
something required at all levels if we want to see a change. Anyone
going to get their driver’s license or permit, whether they are 15
or 27 need to have some form of drivers ed for their safety and
the safety of others on the road. I thank God every day that I was
required to take drivers ed, because I am certain that
without knowing the basics such as MSSM (mirror, signal, shoulder,
move), I would not be on my second year of driving with zero wrecks.
To
ensure that we are driving safely, we must eliminate all distractions
when driving. This means putting down the cell phone, putting your
phone on ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ to eliminate the
temptation of even looking at your phone. Making sure you are well
rested is another important method. You cannot be fully aware if you
are not fully awake, and full awareness is imperative to defensive
driving. Drivers must be fully aware of their surroundings to drive
defensively and react quickly. Another imperative measure is to wear
a seat belt. Buckling up is such a simple practice, and it is truly
saddening to know that so many Americans fail to follow this simple
rule of driving, especially since it could save so many lives a year.
On average, 4,200 lives could be saved each year if 90% of Americans
wore seat belts. These methods are true for myself and others because
we must all take these precautions to truly make a change. Everyone
should want to take these simple steps to improve driver safety and
lower the number of deaths caused by careless driving because you
never forget the sound.
