Fatal Attractions, While Driving

Fatal attractions, while driving

“My GRANDMA!” my friend Hannah yells in our quiet math class during the second period. Everyone turns to look at her as she runs out of the room. None of us were ever allowed to walk out of the classroom, but that was the least of Hannah’s worries. Wondering what could’ve happened that left her so speechless, I tried texting her in class for an explanation. Ironically, a phone in her hand was what caused this incident in the first place.

My friends have always been good and disciplined drivers. Since they were about 16 or 15, most of them started to learn how to drive. It was mostly the guys that I knew that wanted to drive and get a car, but some girls did too. My friend Josh was the first one to get a car and learn how to drive. He seemed so old and mature for having one. He drove very well and took pride in his fast senses and amazing driving. It seemed like whenever he drove around I knew I was safe and not in any danger. Every weekend my friends and I would drive around in his car and go to places that walking couldn’t get us to. We finally didn’t have to split an Uber ride 6 ways back and forth to our destinations or take the bus which sometimes wasn’t the most reliable. He told me that everyday before school he would drive and pick up people to give them a ride to school. Josh had a lot of experience behind the wheel before the incident. Since it was normal for him to pick people up, he picked up my friend Ava from her house and drove her to school with him. On the way there, he was struck from the side of his car by a white car with a little old lady inside. The impact was brutal, his car was totaled. Josh and Ava couldn’t hear anything but ringing when they stepped out of the vehicle. Josh’s ankle was bleeding and Ava’s back was throbbing. The old lady that stepped out of the car apologized profusely before crying. As I sat in math class trying to piece the pieces together of what could’ve happened, I got a text from Ava saying she was in a car accident but she’s okay. As we headed out for break I tried to find Hannah and comfort her and find out what else happened. Her grandmother wasn’t paying attention to the road when she hit the side of Josh’s car. It turns out her grandmother was trying to call someone on her flip phone and was too focused on that instead of the road.

Although everyone made it out alive and well, this could’ve ended fatally. Even though her grandmother knew how to drive, she could’ve easily forgotten the importance of staying alert and free of distractions when driving. Using her phone could’ve been the death of her. By having yearly ‘refreshers’ of the laws and rules of the road, this could’ve been prevented. Just because someone passed their driving test and has years of experience driving like Hannah’s grandma, doesn’t mean she can’t make mistakes. Relying on the fact that someone has had experience driving is a mistake that many people make when trusting a driver or yourself. It is human nature to become more relaxed and laz e fair when you think you’re really good at something. When people get too comfortable on the road because they think they know it all, can be one of the most dangerous scenarios. Implementing a mandatory yearly course on the rules of driving can help people remember the sheer importance of their cooperation and compliance while driving. New driving laws can also be showcased, as some people who have had their license for years are not aware of any changes made to driving rules. The course will have videos talking about what driving signs mean, staying off of the phone at all times, anti- road rage techniques, the laws of the road and any new rules that have been made in the last year. The cougars should also make an emphasis on the amount of deaths that year due to driving and why they died. To ensure that people take the course, there will be a mini quiz at the end to reflect and ensure that what the person learns, sticks with them. Phone usage should never be allowed, even if it seems like the music needs to be changed or someone needs to make a phone call while driving.

Just because someone had a close call in a car accident, doesn’t mean there won’t be a next time. Even people who are passengers in the car should know not to distract the driver in any way. By implementing strategies like a Driver’s Ed Yearly Course Refresher, we can ensure that people of all ages remember and are compliant with the rules of the road. Keeping people safe is the most important thing while driving, and practicing yearly techniques to help people stay on track will help lessen the amount of fatalities while behind the wheel.

When people are too engulfed in their own lives, they forget that other people exist on the road too. Getting too comfortable with driving because you think- “this could never happen to me”, could be fatal.