In the Driver’s Seat

In the Driver’s Seat

I was so in the driver’s seat! I had taken Drivers Ed. I actually got my first car prior-to, so I could practice driving with my permit. Experience, experience, experience, that’s what my Mom preached. Driver’s Ed was quick and easy.

Now I bring my experience to the forefront, and hopefully to where it should be, at the top of the Driver’s Ed checklist.

My story happened like this… I was in the driver’s seat. It was September 14, 2020. It had been a super busy weekend, I pushed the sleep-envelope to fit in everything I needed and wanted to do. Heading out to dinner with my parents that afternoon was just another thing. I was tired, I cat-napped for a couple minutes after school and soccer, while my Dad was on a call. My Mom yelled “time to go”. I left the driveway first, taking my own car so I could continue on with other plans afterward. I was tired for sure, but it was only 20 minutes away! Halfway… I was struggling, but it wasn’t much farther, I turned up the music.

I was driving my new Jeep Wrangler! What a summer I’d had with my friends and boyfriend. Roof on, roof off, doors on, doors off, accessories galore! I was a Jeep Girl! On top of the world, happy, independent, and accomplished!

Almost there, only two miles to go! I was in the driver’s seat!

“POP”, so loud, my tire hopped the curb and blew off! I was jolted to my senses. Skimmed two telephone poles, launched over an embankment and air-borne, flipped and landed on the roof. I could not believe I was alive, not a single injury. Well, not that you could see. I relive it every day, feeling how unlucky/lucky I am. I had fallen asleep in the driver’s seat!

What if I had known about “drowsy driving”, that it was a real thing, with real statistics. With over 100,000 incidents reported every year, ½ of them involving teen drivers (who admittedly and notoriously lack sleep), plus another estimated 200,000+ undocumented incidents.¹ “Don’t speed, watch out for other drivers, the roads are slick, don’t fool around with friends in the car”, but “fall asleep”, that was never mentioned! But here I am, one of those 100,000 drowsy drivers of 2020. Did Driver’s Ed prepare me for this? It didn’t! But it needs to! DE must go further. The common-sense stuff it covers, but there is so much more. Let’s drive a month, then discuss being tired behind the wheel. Let’s drive another month and discuss distractions, another month the pressure and responsibility of taking passengers, breaking down, running out of gas, both sides of road rage. There is so much we don’t know! Follow-up will save lives, keep us on-guard and building our skills in the driver’s seat.

So, I’m back in the driver’s seat, hoping- “that-one”, will do me for life. But what about my friends, and my children?