My mom always reminded me to wear a seatbelt and I usually sighed before I grudgingly obliged, until the day of the accident. Now I’m the one nagging people to wear their seatbelts like their lives depend on it, because now I know for certain that they do. I can still remember the shock I felt once I realized what was going on. The car had rolled at least 3 times after being t-boned by someone that ran a red light. Keaton and Levi had been ejected from the car, they were the only two not wearing seatbelts. Levi luckily landed on the grass and walked away with very minor injuries. Keaton on the other hand, landed on the concrete and suffered what was later discovered as a major brain bleed. He died in the hospital almost a week after the accident and our lives just haven’t been the same. I know that it’s obvious to conclude that they should have been wearing seatbelts, and that man that ran the red light should have just been patient. But I think that it’s way deeper than that.

At the end of the day, people are going to drive, and not all of them are going to be doing it right. There’s only so much we can do in terms of preventative care, like requiring drivers ed (regularly, I would argue). When it comes down to it, my mom’s advice always rings the truest to me: “The best way to protect yourself is to act like everyone around you has no idea what they’re doing. Most of the time you’ll be wrong, but sometimes that caution will save your life.” In the case of the tragic death of my friend Keaton, so many things could have been different. It’s something I think about often. If the other man had just been a little more educated, maybe he wouldn’t have hit Keaton. If Keaton had assumed that that man was going to drive erratically and run that red light, maybe things would have been different. Most of all, if Keaton was wearing a seatbelt, I firmly believe he would still be with me. It’s experiences like this that most open your eyes to the world around you. Ever since that accident, when one of my best friends was torn away from me in what felt like a very avoidable disaster, I have been a staunch advocate for driving defensively and taking the necessary precautions. After some therapy, I realized that you can only do so much, and can only control the things you can control. It sounds very simple and obvious, but it’s something that I needed to hear, and something that I think applies extensively to driving safely. You drive as safe as you can and learn as much as you can. Sometimes that won’t always be enough! But there will always be those times when a life is saved.

When it comes to
, I may be more extreme than necessary but I’m still around to talk about it so I must be doing something right. To me, it’s more than just being hyper aware of my surroundings. It’s taking that extra second to look around before going when the light turns green, just in case someone believes their time is more valuable than mine. It’s looking both ways more than once just in case someone is driving faster than they should be. It’s paying attention to drivers that seem to be driving more aggressively and consciously choosing to slow down rather than matching their energy and cutting them off or speeding up to not be by them. I promise your boss would rather you be late to work than be sideswiped while trying to pass an erratic driver and get to work on time. Being aware of your surroundings is a lot more than just knowing what is happening in the moment; it’s also about being ready for whatever could possibly happen on the road at any second. If everyone on the road did their part in being aware and being patient, I believe we could drastically improve the amount of driver related deaths every year.
All in all, I want to leave you with the impression that I think drivers ed is very important and should be done regularly to continue to have a drivers license. I also believe that drivers ed should be required regardless of your age or experience with driving. In a lot of states, drivers ed is no longer required after you turn 19 and all you need is practice hours and a drivers test to obtain a license. I think you should have to prove that you understand completely what you have learned in drivers ed as well as the damage you are capable of doing before you are even allowed behind the wheel regardless if you have a permit or not.