To Live Your Life You Must Protect Others

I am a naturally fearful person, so when my mother signed me up for Driver Education one day, I was immediately scared. I had to sit behind the wheel of a huge motor vehicle that could be responsible for the deaths of so many people, and that not-so-simple fact terrified me. Then, I started taking the classes, and before I even had my first drive with an instructor, many of my worries were eased. Anxious drivers can be just as dangerous as careless ones, and Driver Education educates both of these opposite parties, in order to make the roads a safer terrain.

Driver Education showed me how to be safe behind the wheel without panicking. That month-long course showed me that I am in control of the car, that awareness is key, and that as long as I am driving defensively, as well as comfortable with my own driving, I will be safe behind the wheel. It simplified rational fears that I had built up in my head to the point of irrationality, which was key to me being comfortable and successful behind the wheel. That same course showed all the reckless drivers in my class the implications of their actions, skewed their perspective by showing the stories of the victims of accidents where the other driver was drunk or otherwise indisposed, and sparked a reasonable amount of fear in their hearts that would keep them alert and cautious while behind the wheel. Driver Education not only educates new drivers on how to operate a vehicle, but also works on both extremes on either sides of the spectrum, the anxious and the careless, to balance them both out so that they are no longer a liability on the roads. Not only this, but they did it all in the same classroom, sometimes in the same session. The effectiveness with which the instructors spoke during lessons and the ease with which they directed me when I was on the road really made an impact on me as a driver today.

In order to keep the roads safe and free from accidents, there needs to be more diligence and thought put into who should be allowed on the roads. Instead of just putting up “don’t drink and drive” posters (which admittedly are rarely effective, since a person who is going to drink and drive is going to do it no matter what a piece of paper tells them), there should be more opportunities for services that will transport inebriated peoples, employees at bars who request proof of a designated driver, more publicity on the implications of their actions, and more face to face interactions that would hopefully make people think twice. It should also be made clear the potential punishments that could incur, like as with the “click it or ticket” slogan, to appease to the less empathetic people that if they choose to drive drunk or be on their phone, nevermind the risk to others, there will be risk to the lives that they know now as well. People are not necessarily going to listen, but it may be more effective than half-hearted words put up on billboards that will not penetrate their psyche any more than their own intoxicated consciences.

I have grown up around very safe drivers, so I myself have never been in a car accident, but that does not mean this topic is not important to me. This past September, right when I was starting my junior year of high school with optimism and fervor, something happened that absolutely changed my life forever. My next door neighbor who was a sister to me in every way shape and form died tragically in a car accident, not five minutes from our neighborhood, when she was just fifteen years old. The driver – also a high school student – was going 70mph in a 45mph zone, failed to yield, and hit a car, causing them to roll multiple times. Neither of them were wearing seatbelts and were both thrown from the car. A few long days later, they announced her brain dead, and they pulled the plug. The driver was irresponsible and neglectful, directly causing the death of another, and yet he lived. When he returned to school, though, you could tell that he was not truly living. Normally a loud and joking person, he was now quiet, staring into space and at empty walls. At the time of the crash he probably thought his speed and negligence was no big deal, maybe even fun and exhilarating, but the consequences that followed will now haunt him for the rest of his life, and cause him to never truly be able to “live” again.

After the crash I was, of course, crushed. I could not think of our memories together without thinking of the crash, I could not look at the crash site, even though I had to drive past it everyday in the passenger seat. For nine months after the accident, I could not get behind the wheel of a car. It broke apart every part of my life and I am still working on putting it back together. If people who wish to drive recklessly could just see that not only the person who dies is affected, that every single person who was ever loved or touched by the deceased is affected too, maybe that will be incentive enough to be more cautious. This crash affected every single bit of my young life in ways I never would have expected, some which only added to the crushing blow of the news. However, I did it. Nine months later, I got behind the wheel of a car, I passed my road test, and now I have my driver’s license. I drive past the accident site everyday behind the wheel now, and it still punches a hole in my chest when I see it. This tragedy showed me how something could happen so quickly and so close to home, and that it is important to live your life and get out there because nothing is guaranteed. It also showed me that no matter how safe you think you are, to always double check, go slow, and use proper driving technique, because living your life to the fullest will never be more important than protecting someone else’s.

I am a cautious and defensive driver, through and through. In order to keep the roads safe, I do my part by being diligent about being aware of my surroundings and the other people driving around me. I use things I learned in Driver Education, like line of sight and path of travel and everything else, but I also use things I learned from the tragedy that happened this past fall. I am constantly aware and reminding myself of how each and every one of the people in cars around me are people. They are human beings who have families, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and many more who love them endlessly. It sounds almost corny, but it is true in every way I can see it, that iff drivers everywhere can just remember that behind that shiny chrome plated exterior and those dark windows is a human being, the roads would be a lot safer. Empathy does a lot for a person, and to remember the humanity of it all is so essential to protecting the lives of anybody who just happens to be using a car as a mode of transportation.