Live Long

Live Long

Imagine a world without you in it. Now your sister. Now your grandmother. In the time that it has taken you to read these words, approximately 8.5 people have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in the United States alone. According to the National Safety Council, four people die every hour in preventable car accidents and approximately 510 are injured. While it may feel like this couldn’t happen to anyone in your life, I assure you the statistics are not on your side or mine. Thankfully there is good news! You can aid in preventing these deaths by participating in and promoting driver education.

Driver education is the one thing that we as citizens have control over. We may not be able to control whether or not someone skids on ice and loses control of their vehicle, but if that driver is educated they will know which direction to turn their wheel and how to minimize the potential for a positive outcome when they do lose control. Unfortunately, each state has different requirements in driver’s education leaving many newly minted drivers behind the wheel without proper education. This may result in a failed turn signal, improper switching of lanes, or even hydroplaning. Unfortunately, all of these things lead to preventable accidents.

How can you help? Well, you can do a variety of things from explaining the importance of driver training to your friends and individuals who are seeking licensure even if your state does not require classroom instruction. You can share with them the statistics from the National Safety Council, and you can also share stories on social media to increase awareness and volunteer compliance.Even if you just get one person to agree to go to driver training, you could potentially save lives or prevent accidents. You have more power than you know, so be sure that you use it!

On a personal note, I have lost many people who would have been incredibly important to me if they had lived. My grandmother and two of my great grandparents both passed away in car accidents prior to my birth. All three accidents were entirely preventable, if simple safety guidelines had been followed. For example, in the case of my grandmother, if the eighteen year old driver had not driven while tired he would not have fallen asleep at the wheel. He would not have veered into my grandmother’s lane, and my grandmother would have lived past the age of 21. My mom would not have had to grow from the age of three without her mom, and she would not have suffered from lifelong injuries, scars, and trauma that followed. I share this story in hopes that someone somewhere reads this and takes driver’s education a little more seriously. It is the one way I can make sure that my grandmother did not pass in vain. Help me on my quest to make sure that we all live a lot safer on the road!