to save a life

Recently I had a dream, I often have very vivid dreams but none have been as detailed as this. I had a dream that I was on the phone with my brother when the call suddenly disconnected. I knew he was driving, although I just thought his phone must’ve died. I received a phone call after about an hour from a random number. It said that my brother had passed away In a car accident. I woke up suddenly in a panic attack thinking I lost my brother. This was just a dream. But to me this was much more telling. I must add that I am heartbroken by individuals who have gone through tragedies like this and I do not know what that pain feels like. I took this dream and looked at it a different way. This was a warning! I must be safer when I drive and when others drive or tragedy that is irreversible might strike.

A step in the right direction to limiting these tragedies is better teaching the driver. The driver must know the basics of the road although I am not speaking solely on the laws. I’m speaking of unwritten laws. Etiquette per say, If you allow your emotions to take control around others while driving you’re allowing yourself to be at risk of a crash. You must learn the rules of driving and the unwritten rules. I have always been told when driving to drive like everyone on the road is trying to hit you. I know it is very aggressive and I agree but it totally changes the way you drive. If you are always preparing for the worst then it is not a surprise if such an event happens.

In driving if drivers start being defensive instead of offensive then the risks of crashes and death will go down. Maybe try treating the cars around you like they are your grandma. No one would cut off, honk, or get distracted yelling at their grandma. If you are driving like your driving around your grandma you will pay attention more, become safer, more defensive and you will stay away from the tendencies to get frustrated at the others around you.

I have a family member who I believe spends more time on their phone than on the steering wheel. I have been very blessed that she has not gotten hurt but I still remind her everyday that distracted driving is stupid driving. The ability to multitask I believe is not really true. When you are on the road. Your focus should always be the road! There is nothing more important in your life than your life. Distracted driving is not just looking at your phone. In our current time it is often the biggest distraction but it is not the only one. Constantly checking your hair or looking at the person in the passenger seat is also a distractor. Conversations are hard to have when you are not looking at the person you are talking to but in the car you must look at the road.

To be safe and to be smart the best course of action is to become a defensive driver. If someone cuts you off or thinks you’re going too slow that is okay. Because by being an example others will follow. To teach others to be a safer driver you must be slow to react negatively but fast in action. My father is in law enforcement, and whenever he’s driving everyone around him drives safer. My father does not drive crazy fast or stupid. He drives like he’s driving near his grandma. He does not want to make others mad or frustrated. To drive safely is to be an example to keep others safe. Your life is more important than getting somewhere two minutes earlier than expected. Wherever you’re going they would rather have you five minutes late than not at all. I had this dream and it changed the way I drive. Safety is first no one wants to lose you, your life is more important than whatever is going on in your phone. To limit the lives of those who are lost because of car accidents we must learn to be examples in the way we drive. In the way you drive around others. The way you approach the road in front of you. It is not always about the destination, sometimes it’s just about the journey you take to get there. My plea to you is to take that journey safely. With defensive driving just like your driving next to your grandma in the car next to you.