An Irreplaceable Cost

Drivers ed Initiative Award – Summer 2019

Name: Brittany Edwards
From: San Antonio, Texas
Votes: 90

An
Irreplaceable Cost

Darkness
erodes my vision and in this millisecond in time, all is calm. The
calm before the storm, as one might say. Now let me tell you, you
never truly know the value of your life, until you’re fighting for
it. 

   
The
crumpling of the car behind begins echoing in my ears. My eyes flash
open and reality returns, playing in slow motion.
Flying towards the dashboard, I feel my chest slamming into my
seatbelt. The adrenaline rushes through my body as my heart starts
pounding faster. My eyes dart to the left where my mother sits, her
foot still slamming on the brakes as though our lives depend on it. 

   
It
was the summer after Sophomore year, when the person I once was,
ceased to exist. I had so much aspiration and possibility ahead.
Little did I know, a car accident was going to take it all away. What
a naïve little girl, I think of myself looking back. I have lived,
learned and grown because of this accident and it hasn’t been easy.

The
car accident that my mother and I were in was a debilitating event
caused by a distracted driver. When somebody suffers injury from a
traumatic event, it takes their sense of self away. New drivers are
taught this during drivers ed. Countless, gruesome stories
and images are shown in hope to instill this dark truth into young
adults. While this is important, this education is not doing enough.
It prepares drivers for the possible future, but not for the moment
that they take their eyes off the road and make a life changing
mistake.

Distracted
driving took 3,166 lives in 2017, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This is 3,166 lives too many, and even more damaged. I cannot begin
to explain the excruciating pain that these actions implement. These
statistics are the verifiable truth of why
you should drive responsibly. 

Drivers
know why distracted driving should be avoided, but only action will
increase road safety. Many claim, apps and technology can be used to
stop users from accessing their phone. However, we’re creatures of
habit and people can just as easily turn off these settings, as they
turn them on. We need a more effective method. Laws are already
passed to inhibit cell phone use, but they’re useless without
enforcement. If the government could get a bill signed, giving away
the power of users to control cell phone blocking technology, we can
save the lives taken by irresponsible drivers.

   
After
two surgeries and months in the hospital, I have been exposed to the
pain and suffering that comes with vehicular trauma. Trust me when I
say that it’s not pretty, and it can be avoided. I am a witness to
this system and the person who carelessly rear ended my mother and I
that day, did so at an irreplaceable cost, my livelihood. Put your
phone away and turn down the radio. Save lives, while you still can.