Lives at Hand

One evening in the summer of 1998, an irresponsible driver was going close to 100 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone and hit my grandmother. Her car flipped, and the accident appeared fatal to all the emergency response workers who arrived on the scene. By only the grace of God, she survived the accident. She spent close to 3 months in a coma and had to relearn just about everything. She was left handicapped for the rest of her life and was a different person mentally. The accident left my grandfather to raise five children (ages 1-19) while aiding her recovery. I never had the opportunity to meet my grandmother before the accident. She is adored by so many people in our town (I still have people recognize my last name because of her) and was said to have had a gift with children. Had one person chosen to practice safe driving and obey the law, my family would never have faced the grief, loss, and change we do.

In our case, we were the lucky ones. The situation was gut-wrenching but could have been even worse. Annual United States Road Crash Statistics claims that more than forty-six thousand lives are lost in car accidents per year in our country alone. More than forty-six thousand people could have had more time. Forty-six thousand people with families left broken. Forty-six thousand funerals because of irresponsible drivers.

I would estimate that over 90% of wrecks involve an irresponsible driver. That could be the reckless decision to drive under the influence, texting and driving, irresponsibly neglecting state laws and speed limits, etc. Drivers Education emphasizes staying alert, not driving under the influence, and obeying all laws by showing students examples of irresponsibility’s impact. Before being licensed to operate, it is essential to understand the lives in your hands and the sheer number of lives you can impact for the worst. That is why the driver’s education curriculum spends so much time on the negative impacts. But unfortunately, people are quick to forget the horrific stories or, at times, believe they are more skilled.

The common idea of “that wouldn’t happen to me” must be destroyed when it comes to driving. My grandmother was going to pick my uncle up from the movie theater. She planned to come back home and finish dinner. My mom and dad were dating, and my mom was joining their family for dinner. My grandfather was out of town on business. Nobody planned the accident and nobody would have thought the night would become so tragic so quickly.

All precautions that seem silly are essential to keeping you and the people around you safe on the road. By going 40 miles per hour, you are helping to ensure that you and the people around you arrive where they are expected to. You are saving lives by calling an uber or a friend when you drank too much and need to get home. Simple actions may be inconvenient, but the alternative, the loss of life, is life-altering to so many more than just you. It’s better to play it safe than wish to go back in time and change things.

The truth is that doing your part to follow the law and practice safe driving is only half of the deal. My grandma was not breaking any rules, yet she was the one injured. The other driver was unharmed. The opposite can happen too. It is pure luck how the accident impacts the drivers. Encouraging others to drive safely is equally important.

You cannot control the decisions other people make, but there are still ways you can help make our roads safer for everyone. Let your close friends and family know they can call you if they ever need a ride after a night of drinking. By putting the offer out there, they will feel less guilty calling you than if y’all never discussed the topic. Be understanding if someone is a couple of minutes late. You would much rather a person running behind than be speeding and cause a fatal accident. Do not cause someone to feel the need to speed to save you five minutes of waiting. Be patient when corresponding with someone over the phone. If they missed your call or took a couple of minutes to respond to your text, they are likely to be driving and will get back to you when they safely reach their destination. Please do not continue to spam their phone until you get a response, as this is more distracting. Lead by example. Make sure you are practicing what you preach and are a safe driver. People around you will feel obligated to do the same when they are around you.

There are many more ways to make our roads safer, and spreading awareness is a big part. Every time you get behind the wheel, lives are in your hands. Don’t let your irresponsibility break a family or end a life too soon.