I
used to have nightmares filled with the sound of shattering glass.


I
was only two when my parents were in the car accident that nearly
took their lives. The roads were covered in ice and a semi truck
skidded right into them. My mother was knocked unconscious. My father
went face first through the windshield. He was unrecognizable for
months. He said he looked like a monster, and was terrified that I
wouldn’t recognize him when my grandma took me to see them in the
hospital. But when I got there, I just stood at the edge of his bed,
head tilted to the side, my eyes round and wet. I hesitated, then
reached up and rested my tiny hand atop his wide palm. His fingers
curled around it and he squeezed gently. That was all I needed. It
was him. Even if he looked different, I knew it was still my dad. I
climbed onto the hospital bed and began babbling two year old
nonsense like I always did, business as usual.


My
father tells this story often. He says I gave him the strength he
needed to get through recovery. I did not understand at the time what
had happened, nor the danger my parents lives were in. As I got
older, and the story got retold, and I saw the pictures of my
parents' car twisted into a heap of metal, I grew afraid. Every time
they went out and left me with a babysitter, I’d toss and turn in
bed, my head filled with nightmares of their car skidding across an
icy road once more. I could hear the shattering glass of the
windshield on repeat.


I’m
older now and learning to drive myself. One thing I feel is missing
from drivers ed is what to do when conditions aren’t
perfect. Driving in a thunderstorm or on a slippery road is very
different than driving on a clear sunny day. New drivers should be
taught how to adapt to their ever changing environment. Another thing
that is not stressed enough now is the importance of seatbelts.
Seatbelts didn’t become legally mandatory in the U.S. until 1970,
and many people continue to act as if they are optional, especially
if they’re only driving a short distance.


If
my parents hadn’t been wearing seatbelts the day of the crash, they
would have been thrown from the car and may not have lived. If there
was better education on driving under all sorts of natural
circumstances, they may not have been in the crash to begin with. As
a young driver I am doing everything I can to educate myself on what
precautions to take when out on the road, and strive for all of my
friends to do the same. Wearing a seatbelt, silencing your cell
phone, and following all the rules of the road are easy steps to take
to ensure the safety of yourself and others.