A Wrong Decision Could Cost Your Life

One evening, in 2024, my parents, my little brother who was four at the time, and I were invited by my dad’s co-workers to a Top Golf game. Excitedly, we arrived at Top Golf and took turns swinging shots and eating food. However, the innocent game turned dark very quickly when my mom noticed my dad’s behavior was changing minute by minute after we arrived at Top Golf. My mother noticed the way he spoke, the way he walked, and his brewing lies whenever he said he was going to use the restroom. She found out that my father was using his typical “going to the restroom” excuse as a way to run and hide behind the bar where no one had sight of him and chugged large cups of alcohol into his body every 10 minutes. Each trip from the “restroom” resulted in his words drastically fumbled and slurred, and his eyes deepening in red hues from the effect of the alcohol kicking in his system. The good time we initially had rapidly diminished and turned the entire event completely sour. Finally, it was time for us to head home, and without saying goodbye to any of his co-workers or friends, we left ashamed and worried about my father’s actions. He insisted on driving back home, and even with the pleading from my mother, he was too stubborn to let somebody else drive. That ride home is one that I will never forget. The swaying in between lanes on the highway, sharp turns to stay in the lane, and shaking his head to stay alert while his body continued to sloth lower into his seat. The ride home just got worse and worse with each minute, and the tension built up and finally exploded when my mom voiced her anger at his drinking issues and reckless driving.  He started swerving between cars on the busy highway while going 105 mph, and blaming my mom for his reckless driving. I still vividly remember the anxiety and fear I felt thinking I was going to die that night, and holding my brother in his carseat, in what I thought were my final moments. I remember praying to God to protect my little brother and to make sure nothing would happen to him in the heat of this irresponsible moment, and to not make him a victim of drunk driving. That moment completely changed me as a person and I vowed to never drink or to find people who could act the same way as my dad while under the influence. An unsafe decision in the moment with the wrong people could cost you your life. 
Driver education is one of the most important things for an adolescent who is learning to drive to reduce the number of deaths from driving. Oftentimes, adolescents prioritize their social lives over safety on the roads which happen mostly online. As a part of the curriculum, the DMV plays numerous videos about vehicular accidents and how they affected the causer and the victim. These videos discuss vehicular murder, pedestrian accidents caused by running stop signs, and accidents caused by running red lights, which instill safe driving habits and reduce fatalities associated with motor vehicle accidents. According to DmvEdu.org, “Research indicates that effective driver education can significantly enhance road safety by equipping drivers with critical information about traffic laws, vehicle operation, and safe driving practices.” These driving programs are critical in ensuring safe driving within adolescents and safe driving habits. 
Though accidents cannot be reduced by 100%, according to the National Safety Council, there are some easy habits that could reduce the chances of accidents by 70%-90%. The first habit is to make sure you and all other passengers in the car are fully buckled up so that the risk of deaths in a collision are significantly lower than when not wearing a belt. Second is to never drive while under the influence and to store all alcohol in the truck of the car, so that the driver and other passengers are not drunk, and cannot distract the driver. Third is to arrange a designated driver if there is drinking involved to reduce the risk of getting into an accident. Fourth is to not text and drive as multitasking on the road is one of the major reasons for collisions. Fifth is to not get on the road while sleepy because studies show drowsy driving is equal to, if not worse than drunk driving. The final sixth habit is to never get in a car with a drunk driver because a moment of a wrong decision is a lifetime gone.