Stop and Smell the Roses

Earlier this year, I was sent to Canes to pick up lunch for my family. I was sitting in a turning lane that was facing another. I could not see whether or not cars were coming because of a large truck sitting in the other turning lane, so I chose to wait in order to be careful. However, the car behind me had other plans; It went around me, crossed the road, and hit an oncoming car, making it flip. Watching this wreck made me realize how dangerous impatience can be on the road, and how often it is that a victim has to pay for someone else’s rash decision. The impatient car was not the one that flipped: It was the one who did nothing wrong. In order to reduce the numbers of families devastated by tragic car accidents, drivers must be more careful, patient, and mindful when driving. One split second decision on the road can take a mother’s child, a brother’s sister, or a child’s parent. Everyone in their respective vehicles must mind this possibility in order to warrant everyone’s constant welfare on the road. Everyone will die one day, but to cut this inevitable end short with a simple decision of trying to get to work or home faster is cruel and unnecessary.

Frequently, people who are driving are in a rush. In fact, it seems the world is always in a rush: they need answers faster, they need to grow up faster, they need the seasons to change faster, they need their upcoming events to come faster. However, if one wishes each coming event away, life will pass by faster. Similarly, if one is driving carelessly to get somewhere faster, they could end theirs or someone else’s life faster than typical. All drivers need to slow down and take their time when on the road. Don’t take the turn that is being cut short by an oncoming vehicle, don’t speed at extreme speeds, don’t rush cars that are attempting to drive safely, wait until sobriety hits before getting behind the wheel, and pay for the hotel instead of driving in a state of exhaustion. If someone is late to work, driving at this pace will only cut mere minutes off of the drive, and if things end badly, they will be far later to work. Slowing things down is not a bad thing, and it just may allow drivers to appreciate life a little more.

Driving is a perilous endeavor, as one’s own life is not the only one being threatened: everyone else who is on the road’s lives are also at jeopardy. Driving school should teach more thoroughly the risk that drivers are putting everyone at every time they are behind the wheel. If a bad decision is made, a life could end, families could be devastated, and opportunities could be abstracted. Fear mongering is not the only way to teach that, as it could just proliferate guilt and dismay. It is as simple as reminding drivers that even once they master driving and feel confident in their abilities, they should remain careful and take things slow. Drivers should not live in constant fear of hurting themselves and others, but they should understand those risks and accommodate them. Everyone taking their time on the roads, steering clear of road rage, and being considerate of other cars would remarkably diminish the consistent car accidents that happen every day. Drivers must make smart, informed decisions every day to ensure theirs and the people around them’s safety.

Constantly being in a state of consideration and always having the will to take things leisurely may be unrealistic: everyone’s guilty of speeding or making perilous verdicts in order to get to their destination quicker. Although it is inevitable that everyone has bad days where they forget to regard the risks of driving, reminding drivers this as often as possible can make a difference. If drivers are more careful five out of ten times they get behind the wheel, it could still keep them from making bad decisions in a rush that ends in a car crash half of the time. I, for one, will try to remind myself as often as possible that my bad day could end someone’s life if I am not careful. If I am in a hurry to get home and drive carelessly because I am having a bad day, I could get in a car crash and seriously injure another person or myself. I would rather take the time to calm down and think about being careful rather than end a life due to my careless errors. I value life extravagantly, and I would be ashamed to do something redundant and be the reason for someone’s tears or missed opportunity. A bad day, in the great scheme of things, will be forgotten. The decision that ended a life because of a bad day will not be forgotten, and its repercussions could haunt one for a lifetime. I hope that in writing this essay, I can make someone think twice before getting behind the wheel and vow to be careful and slow down their urge to get places. At the risk of sounding extremely cliche, life is only so long and it won’t hurt to stop and smell the roses, appreciate driving, and enjoy the journey rather than the destination.