In Case of Accident Checklist

I don’t think that teenagers truly understand the importance of things until something real happens to them to open their eyes. Before I started taking driving classes, I knew that not everyone was a safe and responsible driver but I felt that you could at least trust people for the most part, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. My driving instructor was a fun guy and we all loved him. He made learning about the rules of the road enjoyable and he made up games to pick our brains. One thing I remember him saying all the time was to be a defensive driver. I started looking out for not only myself while I was driving, but also for others. I learned that people are unpredictable and there are so many things that could go wrong that could lead to an accident. Making sure that when people have their turn signal on that they are actually planning on turning, people cutting you off or people blowing stop signs and red lights are all examples of things that you have to watch for that happen all the time.

A time where my defensive driving skills were put to the test was when I was a new driver. I had only been driving for a few weeks with my permit and I was still learning the rules of the road. I was stopped at an intersection with brick buildings blocking my view from the sides. I was a very cautious driver so when the light turned green, I inched up slightly to make sure no one was blowing through the red light before I went. My dad was confused at why I didn’t take off once it turned green and started to say something but was cut off by a loud semi horn blaring. We watched and saw it fly down the hill not slowing down for the red light and we watched him blow right through it. With the speed he was moving at, if I would have gone before looking, my dad, my baby sister sitting behind me and I would have all been killed for sure. It was a scary experience but it is also a reminder to me to always drive defensively and cautiously like I did when I was a new driver, because it can save lives.

Having a close encounter with an accident got me thinking about what I would do if I was in one. Anyone who has been in an accident can attest to the rush of emotions immediately afterwards, and may inhibit the ability to think clearly. I designed a checklist to be kept in the glove compartment of a car, as a handy spot to record all the details necessary, and titled it “In Case of Accident”. It lists all of the information that is needed and even has a spot to draw a picture of the accident while the details are easily recalled. I tried to think of every important question that would be of benefit to others as well including police officers, medical providers, insurance agents, and accident attorneys. My hope was to help relieve some anxiety for all involved drivers in the midst of a crisis.

I’ve had my checklist professionally printed on cardstock and distributed to over 200 patrons of a local business in my community, in addition to my closest friends and family. By using my checklist, personal conversations about safe driving habits have naturally progressed with both new teen drivers and adults who can share their own tips from their years of experience. Connecting with people in this way has been an added bonus to building awareness of the importance of safe driving.

The approach of offering a free checklist for a driver’s car has been the conversation starter I needed that was positive and put a smile on everyone’s face. From there the door was open and I’ve had the pleasure to converse about texting, defensive driving, seatbelts, and weather conditions. Learning the experiences of more mature drivers has been interesting and helps us all to realize how safe driving really does prevent unnecessary deaths due to accidents.

I hope to partner with our local injury attorney and auto body shop to see if they are interested in adding their contact info to my accident checklist for further distribution in our hometown. In their own way, they could gift their customer and client base with a checklist and create a further reach on the mission of safe driving awareness. My passion for helping others, combined with my artistic interest in graphic design, has already allowed me to make a positive impact in my community.