When a Butterfly Flaps Its Wings

When my mother swung open the car door and ordered all of us to get out, I thought we were in big trouble. We were supposed to be meeting our grandparents for dinner, however, our seven-seater Honda Pilot was still parked in the garage, as it had been for the past five minutes while my mother was on the phone and my cousins and I bickered and squabbled over who would sit next to who, who would get the front seat, who would be shunned to the back row, and so on. Little did I know that in those five minutes, our entire family had been changed forever.

There is a phenomenon known as the “Butterfly Effect,” stating that when a butterfly flaps its wings in Pennsylvania, it results in a hurricane brewing over the Pacific. This is obviously an exaggeration, but the key point is there: one tiny, minuscule action has a million different reactions that can ultimately lead to complete devastation. For instance, in late 2015, when a 17 year old driver chose to set out for an afternoon drive, he sentenced six elementary aged kids in the next town over to file out of a white Honda Pilot in shame, bracing for a scolding. One small decision, one hundred unexpected consequences.

As a 17 year old now, I often think about that young driver. I like to put myself in his shoes, to put my foot on the gas pedal, and drive. Would I have gotten lonely on that solitary car ride, or would I have found it relaxing? When I heard the faint pings of my phone on the passenger seat, would I have given in to curiosity or resisted the urge? When I pulled my eyes from the road, would I have pulled over? Or would I have kept going, doing 45 miles per hour while my thumbs moved even faster on the iMessage keyboard? Would I have noticed the red light ahead, or would I have sped through it, only to finally be jolted awake as I rammed into another vehicle and heard the enormous crash, felt the impact reverberate through my bones, and tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue?

My grandparents survived the accident, unlike over 3,000 who die each day. To reduce the number of tragic accidents in the United States, we need to go to the root. Driver education is where a driver’s identity is formed, and teens carry the habits they form whilst learning to drive with them throughout their life. Therefore, it is of vital importance for society to reach teenagers as they are gaining their licenses and testing the limits of their newfound freedom to create a new generation of drivers- a generation who considers the big picture.

Teenagers are known to be very lenient with their personal safety, often willing to throw it away for the sake of convenience or fun, thus, I believe schools should emphasize all of the unexpected side effects of the decisions one makes behind the wheel through documentaries, presentations, and guest speakers who have been drastically affected by tiny decisions. It is the powerful testimonials of those who have lost a daughter, a friend, a limb, and the stories of those who have taken those things who remind teens that they do not exist in a bubble, and when we drive irresponsibly, we not only hurt ourselves, but we have the power to inflict harm on so many others. Therefore, these stories reach into our bubbles and touch our hearts should be constantly ringing in our ears- schools must ensure that driver accountability and safety are a primary focus, not just an assembly once each year.

Every time I move the gear shift into drive, I hear my mother’s voice breaking as she tries to explain to my cousins and me, “Grandma and Grandpa have been in an accident,” and I am reminded that while my foot is on the pedal, I am a butterfly, and I can cause a hurricane. Each time I notice my speedometer rising outside of the speed limit, feel drowsy, or any other instance of irresponsibility, I go through a checklist in my head: Is it safe for me to keep going like this? Is there potential for me to hurt others right now? Would I want to drive next to someone like me right now? These questions are extremely crucial in keeping myself and others safe, as well as ensuring I am an accountable driver.

If that 17 year old boy had asked himself those same questions as he was texting and driving, he never would have crashed into my grandparents’ car. Because he didn’t, he was left to deal with the intense guilt as the cost of his decision rippled out in waves of pain, washing over my family and me. We hold so much power in our hands as we grip the steering wheel: the power to take lives and the power to ruin the lives of their loved ones. The good news is that we have the ability to control this power.

We are all butterflies, and we simply must mind our wings.