She was 12 years old. She had barely lived. She was in middle school simply living her life. She was going to gymnastics practice across town. She was only going 7 miles. And she was my friend: a friend that will never get to live out the rest of her years learning the dos and don’ts of life because a fatal accident took her life away as well as her father. The fact of the matter doesn’t settle in until later because how could something so tragic occur to such a beautiful person? The reality is that most car accidents occur within a 25-mile radius of one’s home. Whether the cause is from health issues, the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding, or any other irresponsibility, the tragedy still remains. There are too many deaths. Sixteen thousand people have to face this scare every day, but long until you are a part of that statistic or your loved one? How long until you have to face this horrible reality when it could be prevented in some ways?
When I first began driving, I was terrified. My friend died at 12, and I was then 15 avoiding taking my driver permit test, and when I finally took it, putting off my test. When I got my license I was thrilled, but I did not drive by myself for weeks. I had a car, but I was scared. I was scared that something was going to happen to me. I can not control the world around me. I started to drive slowly, but nothing could erase that memory from my mind. I had an accident half a year later. I was distracted for one moment, and I hit a student's car. There was no threatening damage. Everything was repairable, but I was frozen. My fear became amplified. The thing was that I had studied and practiced so much with my parents, but when reality sunk in, it became clear that I wasn't in control, so I would have to do my best to be as safe as I could.
I downloaded the drive-safe app with state farm and tracked my progress for the next few months. It was average, but I found myself constantly checking after a drive to see my progress. I think this helped improve my driving, but this is not the case with other drivers. Teen drivers are some of the worst due to inexperience. I wait at least 20 minutes after school before I even attempt to leave the school parking lot now. While it is unrealistic to change the age of permitted driving, there should be a more ridiculed driving portion of the test. My driver test consisted of driving down a simple road, turning left into a neighborhood, circling around, and driving back to the driver testing center.
We are not prepared for the unexpected, and we need to be. Education for young drivers is crucial. While this does not target every single group, this does affect a large group of the inexperienced. Students prepare by asking questions about what their questions on the exam were like from their friends and not by delving into the rules. They are boring but crucial. A minimum practice requirement to meet before being able to attain a license could be life-saving. Nothing prepares someone more for driving than driving. Being able to experience what the road is really like and the unexpectedness can be so beneficial. There should also be a device, like I have in my car, that tracks the progress of every student on the road for their first 5 years of driving. It may not be convenient, but it is necessary. If it seems as if someone else is watching, their behavior changes. If no one is watching, then who cares? Millions of people do because they are the ones affected by tragedies every single day.
Every day I think about my friend. I think about who I’d be leaving behind if I got behind the wheel irresponsibly. I would leave my mother and father behind, my family, and my friends. I now hang the bracelet that she made me in my rearview mirror to remind myself that before anything else, safety is what truly matters. Being two minutes late to school doesn't matter if you crash along the way. I see the pink and blue rubber bands intertwined together and choose every day to live my best life because she couldn’t, and I can only do that by first remaining safe driving.