What About Road Dangers

It was mid-September, the sky was blue and it was getting a bit chilly. I was at school hanging with my friends at our usual table and we were talking, joking, and laughing, trying to get the most out of our time before class started.

“Did you hear?” my friend asked us.

“Hear what?” I asked. She showed me a news article about Travis (I don’t know his last name), a Senior student from our high school. The article read that early yesterday morning on the way to school, he was texting and walking on the street cross walk and was hit by a car, driven by someone who was texting. The ambulance picked him up and took him to the hospital immediately. That morning, he was presumed dead.

No matter how hard the school tried to keep the news on the downlow, it spread like wildfire. People were talking about it and trying to understand what happened between those 24 hours; it happened so quick.

I didn’t know him, however I knew people who knew him. They were heart broken. I saw posts about it online and people doing little things to honor him. I also heard about this one girl that was really good friends with him had to step out of class being she was crying so much. I can’t even imagine how his family was feeling.

He was a student. A student with big dreams to go off into a top tier college (so I’ve heard) and pursue a career. But now, because some person who was texting and driving at the same time, he won’t get to do that. He will never be able to see his family again. He will never be able to experience the thrill of living on his own for the first time. He will never be able to love, get married, or have a family. He will never live again. All because of someone texting and driving.

I don’t have a single solution on how to solve a major problem like this. During lectures or presentations high schools do to help stop texting and driving, I can tell that people fall asleep or just don’t listen at all. It is very hard to get a school of teenagers who just want to have fun to listen to an extreme problem. We’ve tried countless ways, but yet, none of them work. Yes, there are a few exceptions for students, but the message will not be taken seriously by all. And I don’t believe that they will.

However, I do believe that if everyone takes the time to study the consequences, it might start something. “There’s such a low percentage rate of getting or hitting someone. That won’t happen to me. I’m a safe driver I can multitask.” Those are the words almost every teenage driver has said before they hit someone. It’s a small chance, not no chance. Teenagers need to understand that making that one small mistake could cost someone their life. And, it could damage theirs as well.

That selfie upload can wait until you get to your destination. There might be better service their anyways. Your friends can wait a few minutes for a response back from you. They are still going to love you and want to be around you. That online game should be left on pause. You might be able to focus better if you aren’t driving. Just giving up these little things and just waiting a few more minutes makes a huge difference between continuing on with your life and police/ambulance sirens coming to you because you realize you just hit something or someone.

I think schools are teaching the right materials, but just in the wrong way. As teenagers, you have to appeal to their emotional side, as that is the biggest thing that is developing. Therefore, as their emotional state tends to solidify when they are older, those emotional lessons are more likely to stick with them. Make them understand the effects of a small little mistake.

It hurts to know that so many people are hurt by teenagers texting and driving, and I really hope that one day we can limit those dangers down to zero.