It Takes One Mistake

It is hard to imagine an instance when someone’s life flashes before their eyes. However, one mistake while driving could, ultimately, lead to that exact moment. 

My mom has a sister, but that one night where the other car wasn’t paying attention and ran into them head on and her sister, sitting in the middle, slammed her head into the dashboard changed that “has” to a “had”. I personally never got to meet her. She was 16 at the time of her death, and every year that her birthday rolls around, it never gets easier for my mom and grandmother to remember why she is no longer here. That night would never have that ending if people continuously stayed attentive while they drove.  Nonetheless, it’s difficult for people to understand the importance of safe driving when they don’t have someone that has been personally impacted by a fatal car wreck. That is why as a nation, we need to recognize the importance of educating people about safe driving and the impact it has when safe driving is not a priority. 

Many options exist to prevent a sad occurrence, people can put their phones in the center console, have a passenger in the car keep their phone so they won’t be tempted to grab it, and maintaining a three second distance from the cars in front of them to avoid rear ending. Other preventive measures include more emphasis by instruction, when kids are going through drivers ed it is extremely important for the instructor to emphasize the seriousness of cautious driving. If the consequences are not talked about when discussing driving, the students will not fully understand the significance of careful driving. New drivers need to learn the impact distracted driving has on their safety. With the exhilaration and freedom to drive wherever they want with or without friends, it is noticeably easy to get preoccupied with something else while driving (like music, talking to friends, and admiring the view). When upcoming drivers don’t get this education they could be at high risk of a wreck with just one mistake that they didn’t know could harm them in the long run. As a driver who has been guilty of distracted and sloppy driving I can vouch that my goal as I continue to drive is to keep my phone in the center console to decrease the possibility of grabbing my phone. Also, when I am with someone else I will be more aware to keep them responsible for not getting on their phone while I am in the car with them and I will make a cautious choice to not be the cause of their distracted driving. If more people take an initiative to not drive hastily on the roads and decrease the one mistake that could result in terrible ends,  the roads would be a much safer place.