Safe Driving Saves LIves

In my 10th grade Drivers ed class, the first thing the teacher displayed on the board was a slide of numbers. I don’t remember the percentages exactly, but I remembered being scared. He showed us the number of people who will drive while intoxicated in their lifetimes; how many drive while on the cellphone; how many will die behind the wheel. He explained that his job was to make sure we are not a part of these statistics.

Awareness of these statistics and a deep understanding of how the numbers work in real life will ultimately lead to safe drivers. Knowledge is key. If these scary numbers are flashed on television screens, broadcasted on the radio, and printed in newspapers, the general public will feel the same way I did sitting in my Drivers Ed classroom. They will realize that they could be a percentage point on the slide.

One evening, I was parked at my friend’s house when a drunk driver swerved off the road, almost hitting my friend in her yard and my car in her driveway. In this moment, the numbers flashed before my eyes. As I called 911, what if statements echoed in my head. What if he had hit my friend? What if he had hit me? What if he had decided not to drive after drinking? What if he had been informed?

After this experience, the driver was escorted to the hospital in an ambulance and was extremely apologetic about the accident. Everyone makes mistakes, but perhaps if he had been more knowledgeable about the consequences, legal and other, of driving while intoxicated, he would not have gotten behind the wheel. Perhaps if others became more educated, similar accidents would not occur. This could all happen through the power of statistics.