Saving Lives: Education First

“Hello, Tiffany?”. “Yes, this is she”, I replied. “I have some terrible news. Amber has been in a major car accident. She will survive but is in critical condition.” I put down the phone and began to sob for relief that my friend was alive but also in sadness for her trauma. Amber was a dear friend of mine whom I worked with in a restaurant for a few years. I had never met a kinder person. She always wanted what was best for someone, was your biggest cheerleader, and put everyone first. She eventually moved to Denver to live with her family due to the fact that the expenses of the Bay Area in California were driving people out. She promised me we would keep in contact and that she would return once she got back on her feet. Amber was driving home one evening after work through a light when suddenly a car t-boned her. Eventually we discovered through investigation that the driver was texting and driving. Amber had to have multiple reconstructive surgeries on her face. The accident broke her jaw in multiple locations and she was missing teeth. She was depressed because the dentist had to build a new bridge for her bottom teeth. She did not know how she would come up with $15,000 to do so. Amber was fortunate enough to have been granted a scholarship that she entered through her dentist and was the lucky winner. I remember that day she called me hysterically crying out of gratitude for winning the scholarship. If anyone deserved it, it was her.

I cannot stress enough the importance of education regarding driving. Thankfully new technologies are installed in newer models of cars for a talk feature, lane change sensors, blind spot sensors, and rear view back up cameras. Although these features reduce your chances of getting into an accident, they don’t prevent all accidents. Not everyone has access to new models of cars. Many accidents occur from over confidence (weaving in an out of traffic, driving much faster than the flow of traffic), drunk driving, texting and driving, and distraction. When we enrolled in our drivers ed course, we were required to watch videos of horrific accidents and ways to reduce our risk in order to obtain our permits and eventually our license. We only watched the videos once and for some us, that was a very long time ago. If we were required every year to watch a video and answer questions provided by the DMV, I think it would help reduce risk. For many, the psychological impacts of these videos would make them think twice about reckless driving. I believe another portion of the video that could make a major impact would be to show the financial impact of unsafe driving. Money talks and is usually a driving force behind behavior. If we showed people the cost of insurance, accidents, liability, medical bills, etc. from one accident, I believe we could make a difference in driving behavior.

Technology can only take us so far in terms of safety, but it is ultimately education that will steer us in the right direction. Knowing the psychological, physical, and financial impacts of unsafe driving is crucial. In order to see major changes in the decline of accidents, we need to change our behavior and think about how it not only impacts us, but how our behavior impacts others. I think more education and regulation from the DMV is essential even if that means that we are required to take more tests. I would rather have more responsibility each year as a driver regarding driving education than have unsafe drivers on the road. We could save lives.