My mom and dad were sound asleep when they received the phone call: my brother was calling them at 11:30pm. I listened to the sound of the rushed, hurried footsteps and movement as they made their way down the stairs. My mom poked her head in through my door and said, “Your brother was in an accident.” I did not ever expect the words to fall out of someone close to me. Now, this incident was years ago and both parties are safe, however, it did leave an imprint on how vital road safety is.
Jackson, my 17 year old brother at the time, ended up having to go to court various times due to his accident. It cost our family greatly. Not only did it cost us a lot financially, but my mom still receives shivers of PTSD whenever me, or my sister, calls her late at night. I had a conversation with her about this, and she said it never ceases to cross her mind how we could be in trouble just like my brother was. It is emotional turmoil to know that you caused your loved one to have anxiety various times without you being able to do anything about it. All because of an act of carelessness, one has caused another to experience panic for a hefty amount of time. The cause of the collision was my brother’s failure to yield, while the other driver was illegally behind the wheel. The other boy involved in the accident was a 16 year old, who did not have his license. The boy also had a tracking monitor on his ankle during this whole interaction. It was blatantly obvious that this was someone who should not be allowed behind the wheel, or even out of the house. We do not expect these accidents to occur so close to home, until one random night one can receive the phone call.
Along with the payments my family had to make for representation in court, the expenses for the car repair weighed on us greatly. The axle on the right frontal tire needed to be replaced, and the paint was in dire need of help. At the time my brother, who was still in High School, made money by washing dishes at a local restaurant. Mostly all of his savings were wiped clean thanks to the actions from that night. My point being that we should consider the heavy cost of an accident before we commit a reckless act on the road.
Some steps one can take to prevent an accident from occurring, is leaving distractions out of sight. I know this is something that mostly everyone knows, however, even a five second glance down at the phone can steer your eyes away long enough. One can justify a quick look at the phone by saying, “I was wondering if my friend responded.” In terms of conversation, we can weigh the importance of the text we were about to receive. Go over it in your head and ask, “Is this worth the bad outcome this can cause?” Most likely, the answer will be no. We can save a lot of money and lives by having a silent conversation in our heads while driving. In addition to limiting distractions, we can wear our seatbelts. They are there for a reason and do serve a purpose, which is to prevent people from flying out of the vehicle. I once had a conversation with my driving teacher, a police officer, who told me a story of a young girl who flipped her car on the freeway. Luckily, she had chosen to buckle her seatbelt that day. The officer told me that if she had not made that wise decision, she would not have been able to return home that evening, or ever again. It is a simple act, one that many gaze over, and yet it can be the difference between life and death. These are just two simple tasks that can reduce death while driving, and I can go on and on about others.
Circling back to the police officer who told me the story, he was my driving instructor. He taught me the ins and outs of not only the road, but road safety too. Without his advice, I would not be able to properly maneuver my brakes and gas on curvy roads; my car would end up doing too much work. After the one hour lessons, I would return home to reflect on the things I learned and turns out my mom would learn something new too.
Thanks to the instruction I received and the lessons I learned while witnessing the effect of my brother’s accident, I know what safe driving does and doesn’t look like. By pushing my distractions away, putting my seat belt on and focusing wholly on driving, I know I am saving lives. Both others and my own.