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“Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el rumbo. Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino!”
Blindfolded, I spun in circles while hearing the buoyant chanting of my family members performing the piñata song. As the piñata recklessly jumped around, I tried my hardest to reduce my laughter and focus on targeting the goodies. After a failed attempt of freeing the candies, I continued to enjoy the evening of my 15th birthday, the day my Hispanic family would finally see me as a responsible woman. However, I would’ve never thought that the cheering and singing would result in the sound of bleeping monitors and ambulance sirens.
Once the party settled, my cousins and I decided to go on an ice cream run. Pistachio Ice cream was an odd but delicious flavor that we all liked. It seemed only fair to drive 9 minutes to our favorite ice cream shop. Throughout the ride we sang, laughed, and reminisced on my early childhood. Our reminiscence was disrupted, however, when suddenly tragedy stuck and the only sound lingering in the air was of my cousin's screams and of the airbags inflating amongst the impact. A group of teens had skipped a red traffic sign, ultimately colliding into the side of our truck. My eldest cousin, Paolo, remained unconscious.
I spent the rest of my birthday weekend lying beside him in the hospital bed. Teary-eyed, I kept praying for those who drive with ignorance and for others who are victims of the overwhelming issue that is reckless driving.
Incidents like these constantly occur every day in the United States, and the deaths maintain tragically high. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, facilities based on reckless driving are up to 20,000 deaths in 2021. Currently, that number continues to increase, the lives of our loved ones face even more danger as we head for the road. Not only drivers, but pedestrians are also impacted by the increase in driving facilitates; Pedestrian deaths have shot up 77% since 2010.
As the upcoming generation of drivers, we have the power to overturn these statistics and minimize the number of deaths as a result of driving. By becoming safe and educated individuals, we can save the lives of others including our own. By committing to drivers' education, we can understand the responsibilities that are attained when we receive our driver's license and therefore maneuver our way out of an accident. According to research conducted by the AAA Foundation, teens who commit to a drivers ed program are more aware of how to reduce accidents and drive better under pressured circumstances. To be precise, this source of education has reduced crashes by 4.3% and convictions by nearly 40%. To help reduce reckless driving, we must take steps to understand the rules of driving: modeling good driving habits, knowing the rules of the road, learning to correctly perform maneuvers, and understanding risk management. Before we enter the road, we must familiarize ourselves with navigating signals, signs, and markings. Understanding the deals of right-of-way, intersections, and the importance of rightful decision making and defensive driving. One must become familiar with vehicle controls and understand the path of travel, targeting, and vision.
We must take this constant crucial step of not just learning our responsibilities as rightful citizens, but making sure we are always incorporating the lessons we learn on the road. While also encouraging our peers to be safe on the road. A simple step taken to ensure the safety of ourselves and others is to always follow a pre-drive checklist and encourage your peers to also follow. Before driving, make sure to set your AC, GPS, music, or any other distraction that may distract you from fully engaging on the road. Before we decide to drive, we must make it a habit to practice the regulations that lead us towards a safer journey and avoid multitasking. When we are in the car with our peers, responsibility can be shown by helping the driver navigate their location. As well, we must minimize the distractions we cause from driving. This includes music, talking, texting, and loud sounds. Setting a good example of what careful driving is like will carry our powerful influence into the mind of others. Word of encouragement can be seen as simple rewards for good driving. Positive reinforcement as a passenger can encourage a person to drive responsibly.
It is important to remain mindful of influence and knowing of our responsibilities. As we continue to live our lives, drive towards the direction of safety to help reduce the death of thousands. Always remember to not lose your course, “Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.”