Two accidents, one day, both preventable.

Two Accidents, One Day.

I was running late one morning and didn’t think of it to be anything other than an inconvenience. However, being late may have kept me from getting into one of two witnessed car accidents that day. Sitting two cars behind a stop sign, I hear a loud crash and see a Subaru has plowed into a pickup truck and sent it crashing into a video rental store. The man in the pickup was stuck inside, debris all around him. Turns out, the owner of the Subaru was an elderly woman who had stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. A mistake that could have cost someone their life. Upon coming home from work that same day, I witnessed a car getting t-boned in the middle of the highway. It was almost like a movie- every car that witnessed that accident pulled over on the side of the road and started running towards the scene. It was a drunk driver who decided to turn left, not paying attention to the on-coming traffic. The drunk driver had two dogs in the car, and I managed to free the one that was pinned between the front seat, and the dashboard, but not before getting bit in the process. I could hardly believe it- two major car accidents in one day. I kept thinking to myself how they both could have been prevented. The elderly woman could have requested someone else drive her that day, or she could have gone to a continued drivers ed course as she got older. The choice in the second accident is obvious: never, ever drive while intoxicated!

I have been in the passenger’s seat several times when a family member has been driving irresponsibly. My mother has a habit of never using her turn signal, while my father has extreme road rage. Every time I drive with them, I make it a point to remind my mother that using her turn signals are not only for her safety, but for those around her as well. My father has gotten better about his road rage, upon others telling him that they don’t feel safe driving with him because of it. The power of others to speak up is one that isn’t utilized enough.

Drivers Safety education isn’t only important for those about to obtain their license, it’s important for those who have been driving for most of their lives. We forget the basics about signaling, and who has the right-of-way, focusing more on how quickly we can get to where we are going. I believe that there needs to be continued required testing for knowledge of drivers ed every 10 years in order to keep your license active. I believe this would cut down on motor vehicle deaths, as well as accidents.