The importance of safe driving

On 2/24/2017 our family was struck by tragedy, when my aunt Felicia had a horrendous car accident back home in North Carolina. All we knew at that time was that her car had veered off the road and overturned. She had been airlifted to a nearby Trauma Center and underwent a 5 hour emergency surgery, to fight for her life during the days after.

Later we shockingly learned that she was driving home from visiting a friend where they had a couple of drinks too many.

I think the reason why people continue to drink and drive, lays in the significance of both, driving and alcohol in our society. Both is allowed, but can turn out dangerously when practiced together. The combination of driving, drinking and overconfidence can sometimes have a fatal outcome. And yet, although fully aware of the possible sanctions, people seem to ignore this fact. My aunt Felicia ignored this fact, and affected our family in so many ways with this avoidable, terrible accident.

In my opinion, people who broke the law by driving drunk should undergo retraining with professionals, where they are psychologically evaluated and eventually introduced to individual strategies to not drive under the influence of alcohol again. The main emphasis of the retraining classes should be, to teach the importance of their responsibility on a public road. These people should be motivated to reflect on themselves and their behavior. The main attention shouldn’t be drawn to their awareness of having done wrong, but much rather their will to change.

I also plead for a more detailed education upfront, before a teenager is able to obtain his permit, whether it’s about driving under the influence, using cell phones while driving, or simple road safety and laws, so that later as an adult he is less prone to get involved in an accident. To execute this initiative, schools should offer more intense education about these topics, for instance by having health professionals, law enforcement officers or even victims of accidents volunteer to educate about the aftermath of serious accidents.

Also parents should contribute their part and act like role models. They should teach their teens from early on, that any kind of distraction decreases their ability to function properly, and that ignoring or overlooking traffic laws can lead to an accident.

Last but not least, I think providing the option to obtain a driving permit online should not be allowed. I was born in Germany, where you have to complete at least 15 hours of instructed, actual driving, which includes driving at night and on an interstate.

My aunt did survive her accident; however it showed me how quickly life can change without proper drivers ed.

My personal contribution to safe driving is to leave my cell phone alone while on the road, to not insist on my right of way if it endangers others and to get or offer a ride home to friends that should not drive in a certain situation.