A Man with a Serious Expression

Emily Hsu- A Man with a Serious Expression

When I was five, my aunt showed me a picture of a man with a serious expression. When I asked her who he was, she sighed and explained, “This is your uncle. He passed away in a car accident years before you were born. A drunk driver hit his car, and he went off a cliff.” 

I was shocked but familiar with car accidents. The Christmas before, my family had gone to Taiwan, where my grandparents lived. The taxi driver who picked us up at the airport drove erratically and ran a red light. At one turn, a large truck collided into our taxi. I remember the window cracking—it looked like rain. But most of all, I remember stumbling out of the taxi, seeing my mother get pulled away on a stretcher into an ambulance. Fortunately, she was fine, but she suffered painful injuries that still cause her pain to this day.

Since I’ve always remembered my uncle’s story and recalled the details of my own car accident, I’ve recognized the importance of being a safe driver. Whenever I drive, I avoid distractions, like phone notifications and navigation functions. Whenever I hear a notification on my phone while I’m driving, I’m tempted to check it, but then I imagine a car going off the cliff or see the window of the taxi cracking and remind myself that careless actions can take a life. To be safe on the road, I hand my phone to the person in the passenger seat. In that case, I ask my co-pilot to help me navigate by reading me directions. In this way, people can take logical precautions to ensure that they always keep their eyes and attention on the road. In addition, drivers can take courses that prepare them to drive safely. 

As a young person, I learned the basics of the road to obtain my driver’s license, but I have always felt a lack in drivers ed. I wished that my high school would’ve offered students like me a chance to spend a semester learning more about road rules and statistics related to collisions. By learning about accidents, drivers ed could reinforce safety and prevent driving while under the influence or while feeling sleepy. If young people like me learned about the 32,000 deaths per year on the road, they would be more likely to observe precautions and safety laws while operating motor vehicles. Learning important skills like how to drive in bad weather and what to do when facing mechanical issues are also the detailed skills drivers should learn.  

With a driver’s licence comes independence but also responsibility. I often share the story of my uncle’s accident with others to remind them that a car can be the key to freedom or a weapon on the road. Each time I get behind the wheel, I remember that duty to be safe and to protect others from the pain that loss of a loved one can bring.