I sat crisscrossed on the uncomfortable blue mat for what seemed to be forever, fidgeting with the rogue strings that came off as a result of my boredom. I often found myself daydreaming as I waited and waited for the week to come to a close so that I could go home to my own house, my own sanctuary. I had been at a cheerleading camp for over half a week, which was long enough to be considered too long and most definitely uncomfortable in my eyes. Something was off. The silence grew within that conference room; it was unusual. When you go to a cheerleading camp, you are hit with over-the-top men and women, always in a peppy mood and ready to “get to work.” But something was different at that moment. The crowd was hushed, and nobody dared to stir. A girl I was well acquainted with turned to me with a disturbed look in her eye, holding her phone close to her chest in such a distressed way I could not explain it even to this day. The next few words that followed that stare made my inner thoughts and feelings seem like a distant memory, and I felt shocked, numb, and all-around sick to my stomach in a matter of seconds.
I was informed that a young girl, who many knew personally, had been in a car accident with her brother and grandmother while on their way to the hospital to visit the sibling's newborn baby brother. The drunk driver ran a stop sign at high speed and, as a result, killed the siblings. It is a different experience when you see those around you lose a friend like that. You know… you never really know for sure what the five stages of grief are like until you experience it for yourself, but I thought for sure that day I was experiencing all five stages secondhand. In those short few minutes, I realized how fast life changes in a matter of moments, whether you want it to or not, whether you see it coming or not.
Driving is an incredibly serious responsibility everyone should be educated about before getting behind the wheel. There should be zero excuse for any of these unfortunate events happening to individuals. Nobody should have to bury their children over the decisions of an uneducated individual. I remember when I took my driver's education course. Everyone used to tell me how scary the instructor was and never ceased to warn me about not being intimidated. He might have been intimidating, but he taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons: the importance of being aware, making intelligent decisions, and never endangering the lives of the innocent.
I still feel sick about the whole situation; nobody should be told that their childhood friend, sibling, child, or parent was killed out of recklessness and ignorance. Even today, I get reminders of those kid's absences. I often see posts from their childhood friends about how much they miss them and that life has not been the same since they left. It almost begs the question, “How many children, men or even women, do we have to lose before we make a change?” That’s precisely what driving education does; it provides education to children and young adults who need to be introduced to those driving aspects. I can still hear the cries, hyperventilation, and whimpers as all of these young children were told that their lifelong friend was gone. It should not have ever happened.
Driving the number of lives lost due to reckless driving; we must endorse education for not only the youth but also for the parents of those young adults because the only way to fix driving ignorance is to educate. When it comes to driving, there is little to no room for error; we must grow as people and even as a society. We cannot keep accepting the loss of thousands and being okay with it. It is time to change, and that starts with education. Educating about making wise decisions, driving, and respecting human life. Because of this event, I witnessed the result, or in this case, the aftermath.
Because of driver education, I know that every time I get behind the wheel, I am responsible for my life and the lives of those in my vehicle. I am also responsible for the drivers around me. After seeing the distraught grief and shock on those kids’ faces, I have learned to be grateful for the life I have and to respect it. It could all be gone in an instant. It is up to us to live our lives to the fullest and let nothing hold us back. But you should do this all while being safe behind the wheel.