It is a sunny summer day, out in the country where we lived, I am around the age of 7; driving for the first time. Just kidding, sort of. My dad would take my brother and I out driving, sitting on his lap while he was controlling the pedals and we got to take control of the steering (or so we thought). Although my first experience with being a driver was closely monitored, I was terrified. I told my father,
“I never want to drive myself.” To that he asks me, “well, how will you get around?” I respond with, “I’ll just have a chauffeur.” Everyone but the younger me knew that was unrealistic. Safe to say, I learned to love driving, a lot. I have chosen for this essay to be an account of a few of my experiences and events which have taken place throughout my life to understand why it is so necessary to implement safe driving into all of our daily lives.
Recollecting a few car accidents throughout this excerpt, because those memories are truly the driving force in my own personal life to be a safe and educated driver. First off, I was 10 years old and it was a summer night. My dad allowed me to bring my best friend out to the lake for a camping trip. We had hotdogs and burgers but 10 year old me was dissatisfied when my dad promised he’d get snacks from the store before it had gotten too late. I begged him to go to the store after he had drank a few beers. He disagreed but eventually caved into the big brown eyes of his baby girl. He left and it had become a concerning amount of time. My friend and I were starting to get spooked because we thought someone was trying to break into the camper whom was not my father. So we call the police. They did not find someone breaking in but they did find my father veered of the side of the road in a ditch because he saw a deer. He got a dui and did not get injured thankfully. Alcohol as well as prescribed medicines can effect your reaction time plus your cognitive functions. I have come to understand that you may drive at or below the legal limit of .08 concentration of BAC, your blood to alcohol content. But it’s the safest to never drive with any alcohol in your system. You become a safe driver so the chances minimize that your family and loved ones aren’t left wondering why you never made it home.
My very own involvement in a major car accident is recollected here, but hey, I’m still alive to learn from the fleeting moments of life or death. It was a sunny November day, in Cleveland, Ohio. My long term boyfriend had an exam at his college, so I decided to go with him and mosey around the campus. Too bad, he never made it to his exam. We were running late, he was speeding on highway 71-northbound to get to Cleveland State University. As we were taking a corner, it felt like something snapped below us and last thing I remember before blacking out is seeing the highway barrier in front of us along with feeling a collision. We rolled a few times and landed on the roof of the vehicle. We were very fortunate to both come out alive and manage to not hit anyone else in the commotion. The car needed some obvious maintenance with suspension components but also may have not failed on us if we weren’t testing the limits. I now realize that I must take steps to not rush myself or others on the road, be aware of maintenance issues, and abide by regulations which I have learned through multiple driving courses. Remember yourself and remind those around you, it’s better to be late than to never show up at all. According to the National safety council, in 2021, about 29% of all traffic fatalities were related to speeding. That being said, 12,330 recorded people in the year 2021 alone, making it about 33 deaths per day.
Last personal account, it is the most recent and hits home the closest. My mentor and friend recently just passed away. Shortly after a motorcycle accident. Now I won’t speculate much on the details of the incident. But I will inform you all of the steps you may take in order to be a cautious and better off individual. If you are in the military service, you are required to have further training in order to be able to drive a motorcycle. Such training may include an initial course giving the basic skills and knowledge, a follow up course within a year, and a course every 5 years to keep the knowledge fresh. Now I’m not advocating for joining the military, but I believe these trainings should be necessary for all persons to complete to be more confident and knowledgeable on the road. It’s more than just knowing safety procedures, being safe by wearing protective equipment and staying vigilant of dynamic road conditions. There are many ways to practice safe habits on the road and many avenues to further your mental and physical knowledge with the rules of the road. So many deaths may be prevented if every one of us were choosing safer choices obtained through knowledge such as driver’s safety or education. Joe, you will be missed very deeply. I hope we may all continue in strides to make steps toward making the road safe for ourselves and others around us. Peace and love!