The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Have you ever been impacted by a car crash? Have you felt that fear of seeing a car approaching you and not being able to stop it? Well to me those feelings are true and I have experienced that heart stopping fear of hurtling towards a car at 30 miles per hour with no way to stop quick enough. I was only twelve years old and had just finished playing a volleyball game when I was headed to get a post-game meal with my stepfather. We were going through a green light when all of a sudden, a car ran their redlight and sped into the intersection. Without a second to respond, we crashed into the car and my life changed instantly. I could feel the grip of the seatbelt dig into my shoulder and waist as my body thwarted toward the dashboard. Before I hit the dashboard, I was quickly strained back into my seat. One moment I was happy and ready to eat dinner and the next I was sitting in a car with pieces of that vehicle all over the intersection. I was suspended in time and didn’t realize for several moments my whereabouts and I was screaming but could not hear. My stepfather was shaking me and was accessing my responses. I could barely shake my head yes and continued to cry, mostly because I was in shock. I watched my stepfather exit the vehicle and check on the other drivers. The two young men in the other vehicle were stable and admitted they were not paying attention, one on his phone. The police came with rescue and assessed the damages done to both cars. The police then assisted me out of the vehicle and towards the side of the road where my mom awaited us. As I walked shakily towards the side of the road, I looked over the broken pieces of the vehicles laying across the intersection-I will never get those images out of my mind. For weeks after that moment, I was scared anytime I entered a vehicle. I couldn’t stop imagining myself being driven into the side of another car. My life was impacted all because someone wasn’t paying attention to the rules and signs of the roadway. Due to the young driver’s negligence, my stepfather totaled his vehicle and I was full of trauma for weeks.

The day I was allowed to drive for the first-time during drivers training I remembered this accident and made sure I would not cause someone to experience what I have. My training taught me the value and responsibility of operating a motor vehicle. No person should ever have to feel this or go through this fear. My experience is minor compared to others as too many people lose their lives or are severely debilitated for life. So, each time I enter a vehicle I limit distractions as much as possible. I prepare my radio before I leave, make it an effort not to eat, and I make my phone unavailable for use while I drive. These simple steps have allowed me to be focused while driving. If others were to do the same, we could easily negate risks that lead to car crashes. By promoting less distracted driving and teaching all drivers these skills, we can lower car crashes across this country, saving lives! I look back and remember all the hours I spent in drivers’ education and I am grateful. This education was fundamental in learning to safely navigate the roads. Driver’s education is extremely important and every person seeking the privilege of driving on the roadways should be required to complete it. Taking these classes allows a driver to be knowledgeable on the road and safeguards a driver from ever being in the position of causing a crash. A vehicle weighs over 4,000 pounds on average and no one should be in control of one without having the correct set of tools and knowledge. Being able to drive is a gift, it is not a given and anyone unwilling to become educated to drive one should not have the right at all. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for young adults and through education we can reduce this. We must prepare ourselves with knowledge of the road to become good defensive drivers. Yes, the broken pieces of that car serve as a reminder of the dangers associated with distracted driving but the skills learned in drivers training assist in preventing them before they happen!