The Deer In The Headlights

I’ve been in multiple car accidents. Some were under the influence, others just from bad driving. If you’ve ever been in multiple car accidents, there’s always that one specific accident that sticks with you more than the others. The one that stuck with me the most is one that involves a deer.

It happened when i was 6, so about 2013. I remember I was wearing a satin unicorn nightgown. I had my short bob of hair with my pin straight bangs. I put on some slippers as my dad told me we were going on our weekly Sunday night drive. We always went on these, blasting music and singing our hearts out. I enjoyed Sundays very much as I could bond with my whole family together instead of one on one. But this night was different. My parents were arguing, they had both been drinking and my dad took just me and my brother on this drive. My brother and I were very excited. We grabbed our favorite stuffed animals before we ran out the door into the car. I had grandma bear, the last bear my grandma had given me before she passed away. My brother had Football, his dog with spots and in all Seahawks merch. We got into the car and started playing Twenty One Pilots, my brother and I’s favorite band. I looked out the window and realized we weren’t going our usual route. I asked where we were going and my dad replied with “dont worry about it.” I could tell he was drunk as I had always been around it. He was slurring his words, getting upset at every car around us. All the cars were slowing down, we were on a two way street and my dad swerved into the other lane to get around them and there was a deer, in the headlights, standing as still as a statue. My dad saw it, hit it, turned and hit another car and ended in a ditch. My brother and I were untouched, my dad was in the hospital for 3 days. On top of his injuries, liver failure from too much alcohol intake. This experience has always made me want to be a responsible driver and never touch alcohol.

I believe it should be a requirement to take drivers education courses before getting your license. When people turn 18, they can go get their license without taking driver’s education. If they have never driven before, imagine what would happen if we just stuck them on the road with no experience. People who drive for years get into car accidents all the time. I can’t imagine how fresh adults could drive perfectly. There are of course always just bad drivers, my brother can be classified as one of those. When you drive for a while, you start to get more comfortable and being more comfortable is also being more carefree. One hand on the wheel, dancing to music, stuff like that. The best way I can think of making people better drivers is to put a situation in their head. What I mean by that is, put a scenario of car wrecks and how bad they can be in their head. Compare it to them and their family. For example, ask them ‘what if the one time you blow a stop sign, your sister is crossing the street and you hit her. Imagine how much guilt you would feel.’ Personalizing things can make the difference.

Speaking of making a difference, be the change. That is one of my favorite things to say to people during events that matter. 3 simple words, be the change. If you take driver’s education and use what you learned on the roads, you could save someone’s life. If you didn’t distract that driver, he wouldn’t have hit the pedestrian. If you make your friends buckle up even if it’s ‘not cool’ they will be safer in the event of a car accident. If you put your phone away while driving, you wont rear-end the person in front of you. If you follow the rules, maybe other people will respect that and see that you are trying to make a difference. Maybe they will want to do better. Even if other people aren’t doing what they are supposed to, that doesn’t mean you should stop following the rules too. Looking twice and following rules while driving could ultimately save not just your life, but the lives of others around you as well.