The Butterfly Effect

We may not realize it, but every decision we make affects someone
else. Something as small as forgetting your keys or realizing you’re
late for work can lead to a series of events, small or catastrophic.
This is commonly known as the Butterfly Effect—a butterfly flaps
its wings in Chicago and a tornado occurs in Tokyo. But when it comes
to driving on the road, the consequences can happen much sooner. My
mom was once driving to work, following the speed limit, checking her
mirrors, and putting trust in the drivers around her as usual.
Suddenly a car taking a left turn collided into the side of her car,
creating a huge dent and releasing the airbags in my mom’s car. It
took less than three seconds for this accident to happen, less than
three seconds for the man behind the wheel to realize his mistake. My
mom insisted that she was okay, but the ambulance rushed her to the
hospital to make sure there weren’t any internal injuries. The man
kept repeating his apologies and claimed that he hadn’t slept
enough the night before. My mom could see the fear in his eyes and
the regret that filled his expression. She could tell that he was
thinking about how he could have let this happen. Maybe he was
working late last night, maybe he decided to watch a late night movie
with his family, or maybe there was an emergency call early in the
morning. Just that one decision to take the risk of driving, knowing
he was sleep deprived, almost took my mom’s life. Just one
sleepless night can lower one’s alertness as much as a
blood-alcohol level of 0.1%, which is beyond the legal limit to
drive. It is important to not only educate drivers about drinking and
driving, but also to inform about being drowsy and driving. Driver
education is incredibly important to obtain before receiving a
license to operate a car. Knowing the rules and reading the road
signs is just part of the drivers ed. But actually getting the
experience and driving on the road is much different and requires
skill and attention. More training behind the wheel for new drivers
can allow them to become more aware of their surroundings, while
receiving helpful feedback from a trusted instructor. In order to
become a better driver, we can acknowledge our mistakes and learn
from them such as turning off our phones while driving to avoid
distractions and always looking 12 seconds ahead. With new and
emerging technologies, we can make use of driverless cars or use
driving services like Uber if we feel that we cannot trust ourselves
to drive. I plan to continue to take precaution, learn from my own
and others’ mistakes, and ensure that I am safe to others as well
as myself when I am on the road. Nobody wants to be guilty of
crashing into a car, of making a mistake that they can never take
back.