The Grandmother I watched slowly die

Before I was even born, my grandmother was in an almost-fatal car accident. Most would agree that her prognosis was worse than death. She would live in a vegetative state, trapped in her body, bedridden with a feeding tube for sixteen years. This event changed my entire family and me forever. For seven years, I visited my grandmother off and on in a nursing home facility. I sat by her side and watched her sleep some days and suffer others. She died slowly, never being able to communicate again with her family. My grandmother was not wearing her seat belt, and the car’s driver that hit her was a seventeen-year-old inexperienced teenager driving way over the posted speed limit—a perfect storm for a major disaster.

Driving is a serious responsibility, and driver education is crucial in reducing the severe injuries and deaths resulting from driving. Driving privileges come with great responsibility. To become safe, licensed drivers, teens must follow a path of education and practice to help them prepare. A driver’s ed program provides information about driving basics, road rules, and defensive driving. The course covers all bases, from how to grip the steering wheel, change lanes safely, and what to do if you’re being tailgated.

Most of my graduating class took Driver’s Education online, and our parents were our driving instructors. We missed out on learning from trained and licensed driving instructors. We also missed learning from our peers’ behind-the-wheel strengths and weaknesses. I am so happy for my younger siblings that in-person and behind-the-wheel classes have resumed. Their driver’s education experience will likely be more powerful. Sharing instruction time with other teen drivers offers an excellent opportunity to learn from observation-something I did not benefit from.

Young drivers need to realize what could happen if they make bad choices and hopefully get them thinking. What would be most beneficial is guest speakers telling their stories. Hearing stories of someone drinking at happy hour and ending up in jail with a 30 years sentence because they killed someone is powerful. Stories like that stay with you. In addition, every student should get the opportunity to use a driving simulator while wearing drunk goggles and hear presentations from members of local agencies that have seen firsthand the dangers of reckless driving.

There are many things that drivers can do to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. Responsible drivers should always insist that all passengers buckle up in every seat. Interventions focusing on increasing seat belt use can reduce deaths from motor vehicle crashes. If my grandmother had been wearing her seatbelt, I probably wouldn’t have seen their importance at the magnitude that I do now. Her story may save my or a friend’s life in my car because I insist everyone buckle up. Responsible drivers also never text while driving. Texting while driving has been a growing problem in the past few years. Drivers are distracted by their messages, apps, maps, and music. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

Teens can be the best messengers with their peers. Organizations like “Students Against Destructive Decisions” (SADD) are dedicated to the safety and wellness of all students. SADD’s mission is to “empower and mobilize students and adult allies to engage in positive change through leadership and smart decision-making.” Being a part of SADD through schools and community chapters helps to advocate healthy decision-making.

There are many steps I can take to be a better and safer driver. Defensive driving is all about being proactive, keeping my eyes ready for things like pedestrians, bicycles, deer, and other vehicles, and being prepared to take action if necessary. Patience is also an essential quality of a good driver, as it keeps you safe and helps you stay calm even when things don’t go as planned. Following posted speed limits, buckling up, and other road rules will also prepare me to respond to whatever the roads and highways throw at me. Speed is something I primarily focus on while driving. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), “speeding remains the number one factor in more than 25% of fatal accidents yearly. Speeding while driving is a choice—a negligent choice that can result in thousands of preventable deaths each year.” Had my grandmother been wearing her seat belt and had the teen not been speeding, the life-changing car accident would likely have been minor or wholly avoided. In conclusion, we all need to become more responsible, learn from the mistakes of others and work together so we can make the streets safer for everyone.