Have the Uncomfortable Conversations: They Save Lives.

Less than a week ago, at 6:40 on a Monday morning, I totaled my car. Immediately, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back, paired with a heavy sense of dread. I quickly picked up my phone and called my mom. After a few hours at the hospital, I learned that I had fractured my spine in two places. When people ask if the accident was my fault, I like to joke, “No, it was the tree’s fault”. But really, it was an avoidable accident; it was only my car, a tree, and a simple mistake. I had slipped a tire off the edge of an S-curve with no shoulder, then overcorrected and landed straight in the ditch. Since then, though, I have thought a lot about how fortunate I was to be able to walk out of that crash with only a couple of fractures. Many similar accidents have not had the same result. 

When my mom and I started discussing searching for a new car for me, we originally wanted something cheaper and jankier than my totaled car. My uncle, though, pointed out that with lane-assist features on my car, my crash likely wouldn’t have happened. My crash is not an outlier in that aspect; many lives have been and could have been saved with modern technology. 

Despite the benefits of modern technology, a “smart” car alone can not prevent deaths from driving. Lane-assist could not have prevented my grandpa from being fatally hit by a drunk driver. Education could have. The driver who took my grandpa’s life had been a serial drunk driver. His actions were inexcusable, but following the crash, it was clear that he had never fully confronted the consequences his decisions could have. After the accident, he got sober. He also began texting my family every year on the day of the accident, full of shame and regret. Had he fully appreciated the possible outcomes of driving under the influence, there is a good chance the accident could have been avoided entirely. 

Many people, especially teenagers, regard driving under the influence as cool, edgy, or unimportant. It can be difficult to correct others’ lighthearted jokes about drunk driving, but doing so can save lives. So, when I hear discussions of driving under the influence or reckless driving, I tell my grandpa’s story. I know I will not convince everyone, but if even one person decides to Uber home after a night of drinking, it is worth my temporary discomfort. 

I have also noticed an opposition to wearing a seatbelt from friends and family. An ex-boyfriend of mine, for example, would never reach for his seatbelt when he got in a car. The first problem with that was that no one had ever encouraged him to form that habit. Growing up, my mom would scare me with stories of people flying through windshields; putting my seatbelt on has always been habitual for me. The second problem was that he did not feel the need to wear a seatbelt. After I scolded him about what could happen without a seatbelt, he agreed to wear the seatbelt over his lap, but put the chest strap behind his back. How lucky he was, I thought, to have gone years without a seatbelt while avoiding serious injury. 

My uncle, on the other hand, not just lacks knowledge of the benefits of seatbelts, but is entirely misinformed. Evidently, when he was younger, he had been told that seatbelts would “trap” drivers in a crashed vehicle. In particular, he worries about being stuck in a car that is aflame. Despite attempted persuasion by other family members and me, that misinformation is seemingly permanently ingrained in his mind. Proper driver’s education could have prevented his dangerous beliefs. 

As for my own driving, I try to keep myself informed and up-to-date about driving laws, as well as current construction in the area. When I am not sure about the proper thing to do in a certain scenario, I ask my old biology teacher, Mr. Ritterbush, who teaches driver’s education in the summer. I have found that looking over my route before I drive has helped prevent panic if I happen to miss a turn. Simple actions like that help me stay safe and focused on the road. Since my accident, my commitment to safe driving has strengthened; I no longer see cautious driving as an inconvenience, but as a responsibility. 

I was fortunate enough to walk away from my accident-- hurt, but alive. Not everyone is so fortunate. With thorough, accessible driver’s education, we can prevent deaths caused by driving. Paired with new crash-prevention technologies, there is potential to reach new levels of safety on the road. Ignorance alone has cost the lives of thousands on the road. By informing others, and ourselves, we save lives. Every habit we build, every story we tell, and every misconception we correct gives others a better chance at getting home safe.