Name: Breanna Sapp
From: Jacksonville, North Carolina
Votes: 0
When
you’re a little kid and you look around your classroom, it seems
like all those faces will last in your life forever. As I’ve been
in high school, I’ve seen faces disappear from my class that I
never would’ve guessed. From heart problems to drug overdose,
heartbreaking tragedies have seemed to grow in number as we’ve
grown up ourselves. Yet the most common tragedy that seems to occur
stems from one cause; unsafe driving. In the past year, more than 4
people my age that I know have passed away from being in a car
accident without wearing a seatbelt, drunk driving, or hydroplaning.
Along with this, I’ve witnessed sisters, girlfriends, and friends
have their hearts torn out from these deaths. As you get older, death
becomes more and more common among us. It’s not just a myth that
you can’t grasp anymore; it becomes real.
You
ask yourself, what measures could’ve been taken to prevent this?
For the past few deaths I’ve seen, a seatbelt is the first thing
that could’ve saved their lives. From the hydroplane incident, to
the drunk driving, kids I’ve known for years have lost their lives
due to this simple habit that’s slipped from our minds since we
were little. Our mothers beat it into our brains once we graduated
from the car seat, telling us to wear it over our shoulder and to
always remember what could happen if we don’t. As we grow older, we
have a new sense of freedom. With freedom comes our own choices. I’ve
heard someone say, “Why do I need a seatbelt? I’ve never gotten
into an accident before.” Maybe the reason it slips our minds is
because death seems so far away, like we have many years before it
makes its way to us; like we have an expiration date that we don’t
need to worry about for a while.
Of
course, this isn’t true. Anytime anyone I know doesn’t buckle up
when we get in the car, I think about the faces I once knew that will
forever be gone now. I try to encourage a seatbelt as much as
possible, telling people to think about their future, their mom,
their sister, their friends. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
When you think about your future, a seatbelt doesn’t usually come
to mind, but I often remember that a seatbelt may be the last thing
that comes between you and those 10 years.
