Imagine this: you are in your mom’s Subaru SUV on your way to a tennis clinic. It is a long way to the courts, and the ride is long and monotonous. The drive is going smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, that you fall asleep into a light afternoon nap. Then, suddenly, you feel a sharp jolt. Your head and neck snap forward quicker than you can even process. You are forced awake, your eyes wide, moving about wildly with adrenaline. Your car has stopped in the middle of the road in front of a traffic light. Already, there are cars all around you driving around the scene of the incident, attempting to avoid the police and firemen before they block off the road. You can hear your mom panicking - something like this had never happened to her before and she was in a state of terrible consternation. About this time, you process what has happened. You look behind you through the back window of the SUV, and the smashed remains of a small gray Toyota lay there like roadkill. A man is getting out of the car. In a daze, he glances at his arms. They looked burnt and red. Blood was trickling out in small, steady streams. The wind blew about his face, tossing his brown hair in sporadic directions. You turn back around and sit there in silence. Your brother is wide awake too, taking in the scene the best he could with his ten year old brain. The next moments are a blur. At some point, a police car and firetruck appear. A kind fireman walks up to your window and asks if you and your brother are okay. You are, but the only thing you can say is “Are you not hot in that outfit?”. You try to read a book with your brother that is in the car to calm down. Yet, while this is all happening, I still can’t believe it.
I was twelve years old when I experienced my first, and hopefully last, car accident of my life. It was a rear-end accident that occurred when the car driving behind us on our way to my tennis clinic could not stop in time upon realizing that we were braking in front of the traffic light. We were lucky. None of us suffered any major injuries, and all we were left with was a lopsided dent in the back of our car. The man that hit us wasn’t as fortunate. His car was left completely totaled and he got burned badly from the airbag attempting to soften his impact. Not to mention having to pay a large fee to fix our car, the expenses needed to cover physical therapy for all three of us for several months, and even more money that my brother and I would inherit once we became adults.
It’s been five years since the accident happened. I still think about it now. I suppose that up until that moment, I didn’t believe that I could ever get into an accident. Such a thing seemed impossible. I thought I was immune to such unimaginable horrors fit only for the news, which itself felt as unreal as fantasy. And I believe I am not the only one who held themselves in this realm of higher assuredness.There must be thousands if not millions of Americans who are still trapped in that place called blissful ignorance. It is not real until you see it for yourself. Until you feel that initial impact. Until you see the wrecked remains of those shiny vehicles. Until the world stops.
In just 2022 alone, more than 42,500 people died in motor vehicle accidents. Drunk driving, speeding, lack of seat belt use, and distracted driving are among the most common causes of these collisions. Greater than the annual casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, too many Americans still get inside vehicles today without a sense of how dangerous driving really is. That something so simple, easy, and commonplace could be the result of devastating outcomes is a thought only subconsciously held in the minds of most. Because of this, and the alarmingly rising numbers of car crash deaths each year in the states, driver’s education and publicizing safe driving habits is essential.
Although those required online driver’s education courses may appear like common sense on a screen, what is common is oftentimes lost. And much of the time, it is the things that are most obvious that must be emphasized again and again - for these are the things that are easiest to forget. Additionally, new drivers on the road may not even be aware of dangers until they are introduced to them. I know from my own experience that I was completely clueless of my many terribly dangerous driving habits until my screaming mother next to me cried for me to stop.
Promoting safer driving practices is also crucial towards making the road the safest it can be. Driver's education can again help with this. As the common saying goes, “Knowledge is Power”, and being informed of the possible risks of driving is the best way to prevent them. Other solutions to reduce the number of deaths on the road can also be expanded outside the individual responsibility of the driver. The design of roads in towns and neighborhoods can help encourage safer driving. Constructing the road and sidewalks at a crosswalk to be wider and more open to increase a driver’s visibility of pedestrians, for instance. Traffic law enforcement, nerve racking as it may be to see a police officer hiding with a speed gun, could greatly reduce road deaths, as well. I for one can attest to the effectiveness of traffic law enforcement. Once, while on an annual holiday trip to Las Vegas, my mother received a speeding ticket right as we were about to arrive at our hotel. After thanking the officer for the “Christmas gift”, she never got another speeding ticket again. Well, until she did.
Today, my mother is still far, far away from being a perfect driver. Out of every driver I have ever met in my entire life, I can with no doubt state that my mom is the worst. With six tickets in just my lifetime, multiple car accidents (most of them her fault), and constant speeding, I feel as if I will die each time I get into her car. And I have not even discussed her dreadful texting and driving habits. There has never been a single time she has not taken out her phone and texted while driving with my brother and me in the car. We have the same argument each time it happens. I say something harsh and terse to get her attention. Usually it will be something like, “Well, I guess I’m going to die today.” My mom quickly says back, “Karah! Don’t say that! It’s bad luck!” to which I will reply with “I wouldn’t have to say it if you didn’t text every time you drive!”
Needless to say, we have had one too many conversations that pan out like this. My mother really is the complete package, though. The complete package as the perfect example of what not to do. There are several habits that I practice daily as a sort of antithesis to my mom. For one, I never look at my phone while on the road. If I get a text message, I always look at it after I am at my destination. I also make sure to get my GPS and music set up before I leave. If something is urgent, I ask my brother to do it for me on my phone. I usually remind my friends, and especially my brother, in a gentle, but firm tone to “get yourself together” when they are driving. I tell them simple things like “don’t be stupid”, in hopes that my words will go through.
I hope the little things I say stick. I do the best I can with small reminders whenever I feel they are needed. I care deeply for the safety of my family and friends and I believe that with proper education, driving no longer needs to be associated with crushed aluminum and lost lives. I will finish with this: never forget to tell your loved ones to “drive safe”, “buckle up”, or “be careful”. Let’s build a community that values wellbeing both in the home and on the road. A community that values driver's education and understands its importance. Your words have an impact. And what you say today could save a life tomorrow. So from one driver to another, be safe out there.