Safe driving saves life

Safe driving saves life

To reduce the number of deaths as a result of driving, it is essential for drivers to educate themselves and learn how they can practice safe driving on the road. There are many steps to take into consideration, in order to decrease mortality caused by car accidents. Most importantly, having your seatbelt on and making sure you are not mentally distracted using your phone, makeup, and many other things makes you less focused on the road. We all probably experienced a time when we were in a car accident. And there are many ways that a driver can take to drive safely, as well as help others to become secure on the road. These ways include; not driving unless you are confident of your experience in driving, following the speed limit, focusing on the road, and most importantly, being conscious.

I can recall a time when we first came to the U.S. and went to visit my aunt, Turkia, who lived in San Diego. We had a great time together having green tea and cookies she prepared. On our way back, having fun, listening to music, and dancing with my mom, dad, brother, and two sisters. I felt peace and safe at that time. It was very dark at 11pm. We stopped at a red traffic light, and suddenly, a man driving irresponsibly, not following the speed limit, collided with our car strongly. He was drunk and less conscious. I thought I heard guns. I grabbed all my siblings, hugged them, and screamed, hoping nothing would happen to them. I was shaking. The accident was very hard because the car went out of the street, and the airbag exploded. We all lost consciousness. I woke up to the flashing lights of emergency cars and police all around the car. My tears streamed down my face, screaming, “where are my siblings” in Arabic. I didn’t know how to communicate with anybody. I couldn’t even ask about their health conditions. My mom helped me get out of the car. We got in the emergency car, not understanding what was happening. They took us to the hospital to check on our health conditions. We got blood work done and we checked everything. The doctors said, “you all need physical therapy”. They asked about how we felt after the accident, and they brought psychology to check on us. They referred us to a therapist and a psychologist. We all started getting physical therapy for at least one month. It was such a bad experience. I was so depressed and scared for a whole month. I couldn’t even sleep alone. I had to have my mom next to me while sleeping. I started getting psychiatric treatments. The treatments went well. I hate that day and until today, whenever we decide to visit my aunt, we change the road just so we don’t go through that street. We just don’t want to remember that tragic day. It was a terrible experience. And until this day, my father is experiencing left leg pain. And he is receiving physical therapy to help him walk better. We still can’t get over it because this accident affected us a lot.

I don’t understand how could a person, drunk, not having enough experience is able to drive knowing that they might hurt themself, or other people on the road. Reflecting on the experience I had, it is important for everyone to understand the consequences they may cause because of not driving responsibly and safely. Careless driving may cause physical and mental problems for innocent people. As stated before, reducing the number of accidents requires all drivers to be responsible and more cognitive while driving, which can reflect better on people by saving their lives. Also, drivers should drive safely by following the driving instructions and speed limit to decrease the number of accidents, which results in less number of deaths.

Many drivers are not aware of the fact that they could actually hurt other people if they are not driving safely. More than 50,000 people are killed every year due to an accident. This fact is scary because it’s close to the number of people who died in world war 1, and it’s even more than the people who died in the Vietnam war. This fact also shows that driving is risky, and is more dangerous than being involved in combat. As well as it highlights how important it is for a person to really educate themselves before they hit the road.