The That Won't Happen to Me Mindset
Driver Education Initiative
Claire Elizabeth Brescher
Lake Charles, LA
My
little sister is learning to drive. On my eighteenth birthday, I was
greeted by a chirpy, "I'm driving today. It's legal." I
reluctantly let my sister drive. Yes, it was legal, but that didn't
mean I had to like it. Once we were on the road she started fidgeting
with the music on her phone. I yanked the phone from her hand, and I
told her to pay attention; if she wasn't careful, we could wreck. She
turned to me smugly and said, "that won't happen to me. Plenty
of people text and drive."
Many
of my peers agree with my sister. They believe the horrible wrecks
they see on the news are rare and don't apply to them. Some people
even think it is "cool" to drive recklessly.
One
day, my mom and I were the first to arrive on the scene of a wreck. A
man fell asleep at the wheel after working a shift all night and
swerved into the lane of two brothers, the younger my age. The
collision slid onto the shoulder, hitting a runner. My mom and I
called 911, asked for help from nearby houses, and got the victims
out of their cars. The man who had fallen asleep honked and honked
but we couldn't get the door open. The younger brother was air-lifted
to a hospital. The runner had a gash on his head and was laying in a
pool of his own blood. My mom and I helped as best we could until the
paramedics and police got there. We told the police and the
paramedics what had happened and watched the news vigilantly for any
information about the wreck. We found out later that the brother and
the runner were injured but survived, but the man who was working all
night died.
Since
then, I make it a point to tell anyone who has the "that won't
happen to me" mindset my story. Personal testimonies and
encounters are the only way we can teach people about the dangers of
reckless driving. If everyone who has been affected by a car crash
would share their story, we could make a real difference. By changing
people's attitudes, we can change their actions and if people change
their actions, driving related deaths will decrease. So get out there
and start sharing your story!
little sister is learning to drive. On my eighteenth birthday, I was
greeted by a chirpy, "I'm driving today. It's legal." I
reluctantly let my sister drive. Yes, it was legal, but that didn't
mean I had to like it. Once we were on the road she started fidgeting
with the music on her phone. I yanked the phone from her hand, and I
told her to pay attention; if she wasn't careful, we could wreck. She
turned to me smugly and said, "that won't happen to me. Plenty
of people text and drive."
Many
of my peers agree with my sister. They believe the horrible wrecks
they see on the news are rare and don't apply to them. Some people
even think it is "cool" to drive recklessly.
One
day, my mom and I were the first to arrive on the scene of a wreck. A
man fell asleep at the wheel after working a shift all night and
swerved into the lane of two brothers, the younger my age. The
collision slid onto the shoulder, hitting a runner. My mom and I
called 911, asked for help from nearby houses, and got the victims
out of their cars. The man who had fallen asleep honked and honked
but we couldn't get the door open. The younger brother was air-lifted
to a hospital. The runner had a gash on his head and was laying in a
pool of his own blood. My mom and I helped as best we could until the
paramedics and police got there. We told the police and the
paramedics what had happened and watched the news vigilantly for any
information about the wreck. We found out later that the brother and
the runner were injured but survived, but the man who was working all
night died.
Since
then, I make it a point to tell anyone who has the "that won't
happen to me" mindset my story. Personal testimonies and
encounters are the only way we can teach people about the dangers of
reckless driving. If everyone who has been affected by a car crash
would share their story, we could make a real difference. By changing
people's attitudes, we can change their actions and if people change
their actions, driving related deaths will decrease. So get out there
and start sharing your story!
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