We think we’re invincible. We live our lives as if we have forever. And we constantly fail to realize that in just an instant, life itself can be ripped out of our hands for good.
Twenty-eight-year-old Joshua had a bright future ahead of him. He’d already served in the military and was currently working for SpaceX, on a rocket design team. On a dark, clear February night, he and his younger brother, Justin, were on their way home from a family ski trip in Mammoth, California. The drive was long, and Justin had fallen asleep in the passenger’s seat. Stay awake, Josh told himself, feeling a slight drowsiness come over him. Stay awake.
The bright lights of a semi-truck flashed around the bend ahead, scattering across the windshield and nearly blinding him. He peered forward and edged the car closer to the middle of the road, trying to follow the lane markers under the truck’s high beams. And then suddenly, everything went black.
The semi had drifted into the middle of the road, most likely due to its driver falling asleep. Josh died immediately. Justin lived only a month after the accident. They had been old childhood friends of mine, and I couldn’t believe the heartbreaking story I heard from their parents when we’d reconnected after a decade.
I wish their tragic story was uncommon. I wish that Google hadn’t been able to instantly come up with records of hundreds of fatal head-on collisions on the 395 when I typed in that seemingly specific prompt. But the reality is that every single day in America, over a hundred people, young and old, become part of stories like Josh and Justin’s. And sadly, these accidents often could have easily been prevented by a few simple but thoughtful actions on the driver’s part.
Driver education is the absolute first line of defense in fatal accident prevention, but it’s hard to appreciate this as a carefree teenager. I was a reckless driver when I first got my license. I think most of us teens are. You cram a whole bunch of what seems like useless knowledge into your head, pass the test, get the license, and suddenly a whole new world is opened to you. Now that I could get behind the wheel and take myself anywhere, I felt invincible. My reality check, however, came just three short weeks after I’d gotten my license, when I was at fault in an accident that totaled my parents’ new car. Sure, I’d read all about the rules of the road; but an experience like that was what it took for the importance of those rules to engrain themselves in my brain. One accident and 100+ close calls later, I’m beginning to understand now why these rules exist and why it’s so important to follow them.
Accident awareness is the next step in preventing severe and fatal accidents. We don’t get in our cars every day thinking we are placing ourselves in imminent danger; but hundreds of cars, driven by imperfect humans at 80mph just a few feet away from each other, is a recipe for disaster. The most impactful parts of my driver training were watching crash simulations, and even footage of real crashes, reading about tragic teen accidents and how they were caused, and ultimately realizing that it all could be me. Crash simulations should be a part of every single driver’s ed course. In order to truly become a safe driver, you have to know what’s at stake. Yes, those videos are hard to watch sometimes, but it’s crucial to know the dangers of what you’re getting yourself into every time you sit down behind the wheel. Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing the rules.
With the technological age of the 21st century, distracted driving has steadily gone up on the charts; currently claiming a staggering amount of lives per year. A quick glance at our cellphone to change the song, check a notification, or send a text is often fatal. I’ve experienced enough close calls as a result of being on my phone while driving to know that I shouldn't be alive right now. And yet, I kept using the life I miraculously had to keep picking up my phone while driving, over and over again. How many close calls would it have taken? One? Five? Fifty? It’s human nature. If something doesn’t harm us immediately, we’ll keep pushing the boundaries until we’ve gone too far. But we can’t rely on fear to drive us to action. Making the right choice starts now. It starts with deciding to tuck your phone away in a bag, out of reach. It starts with turning on Do Not Disturb, and choosing your music beforehand. These small, thoughtful steps will have a massive impact on the safety of your life and the lives of those around you.
Driver’s ed courses and driving instructors do a great job of teaching us all the book knowledge we need to know to drive like safe drivers. But honestly, a lot of them fail to emphasize the impact that your mental state has on your driving. Where you are mentally and emotionally when you get behind the wheel has a huge effect on how you will drive. We live in a fast-paced society that constantly demands our attention in multiple places at a time; and whether we realize it or not, the perpetual stresses and anxieties of our everyday lives carry over into our driving. The stress of being late, the nervousness of an interview or audition, or even the emotional baggage from a depression, or family or relationship trouble, are all things that can really start to overpower the logistical side of things when we drive. And the reality is, these aren’t problems that will just go away. Life is always going to throw these challenges at us, and it’s up to us to rise above and overcome these obstacles.
It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort to start living more responsibly. If you get stressed out when you are late to an event, start making adjustments to your day so that you’re always on time. If you’re dealing with relationship problems or depression, make the car a safe place where you can give yourself an emotional break. Taking one minute to calm down and destress can mean the difference between life and death.
Being a good and safe driver isn’t just about knowing all the rules -- driving responsibly starts with living responsibly. Who you are outside of the car doesn’t change when you get inside the car. The decisions that you make and the way that you live your life determines the kind of driver you will be when you get behind the wheel. Make the right choices today, so that you have the opportunity to choose tomorrow.