In the Blink of an Eye

Every day, approximately nine people die as a result of distracted driving, and roughly 1,000 more are injured. The number of deaths due to motor accidents in a year easily surpasses the number of American deaths in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined, according to the hosts of this very scholarship contest. I cannot impress upon you the importance of being an educated driver. And by driver education, I don’t just mean the online courses available and required to obtain a driver’s permit; I also mean knowledge about how your mental state affects your driving abilities and decisions and fully understanding the repercussions of causing or being involved in accidents.

Picture this:

You breathe in the salty air as cool, refreshing wind bursts through the car’s open windows. The sun flies high in the sky, gleaming off the water that runs parallel to the highway. It’s a beautiful day. The bright blue of the peaceful sky contrasts with the push and pull of deep turquoise waves crashing on the beach. There isn’t a cloud to be seen as you zip down the road. The speed limit is 60 miles per hour, but you’re going 70. It’s fine; traffic is light. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. The scene is picture-perfect; what could possibly go wrong on such a beautiful day? “I wish mom could see this,” you think to yourself. You look around to check the traffic and see that you’re well behind a large truck, and two cars follow a distance behind you. Pulling out your phone, you take a picture of the view framed by your window. It looks like a postcard. “If I’m quick, I can send it now,” you decide. You press send and look up a split second before you crash. Everything’s a blur, happening too quickly to react. The truck had stopped at a red light, and you didn’t even notice. Your body is jolted forward at the impact, and the seat belt yanks against your collarbone right before you hear another crunching boom. The car behind you rams into your bumper. You’re dizzy and disoriented. Your vision is hazy. Fear consumes you as you sit sandwiched between smashed cars imagining the devastation you would feel if it was someone close to you in that incident instead of you. You could have died. You could have been paralyzed or seriously injured. You don’t know how much time has passed when you hear sirens in what seems to be a distance. The smell of smoke tingles your nostrils and makes your throat feel thick. You think there’s shouting, but it sounds like muffled murmurs to you. Your body is numb, and you can’t bring yourself to move. All this because of a single text. Light floods the car, temporarily blinding you as rough hands grab you under your arms, and you’re hoisted out of your seat. Everything is achy, and you crumple to the ground as a warm blanket is thrown over your shoulders, and a bottle of water is pushed into your hand. You think there’s a fire, but it’s as if your spirit has left your body and is watching you from above. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, the officers find your phone. You can’t help but look at it with disdain, disgust, and even a touch of fear. It’s because of that thing that all this happened in the first place. It buzzes, shaking you from your reverie. Your vision and hearing clear, and you realize that the screen reads mom. Mom is calling. When you answer, you hear her sob of relief. “Oh honey,” she says, “honey, are you okay?” You don’t know what to say, and a whisper of a cry escapes your lips. “I’m okay, mom,” you finally reply. The peacefulness and beauty of the day – it turns out – were just a pretty facade to hide the ugly reality of the moment you texted while driving. You’re lucky to be able to walk away. You’re lucky everyone else involved is able to walk away. Never text and drive.

Now imagine the damage a single angry driver could cause in a high-traffic situation. Imagine the volatility and unpredictability of a driver who doesn’t understand traffic laws. How many families would face devastation from those situations? That is why driver’s education is of utmost importance. Emotional driving, texting while driving, and anything else that distracts you while driving is dangerous and affects so many people around you, even people you don’t know. It’s unfair to your family and the families of those involved, so just don’t do it. Driving is not the time to practice your multi-tasking skills and has so many physical, emotional, and economic repercussions.

So, what can we do? Well for one, we can ensure that ourselves and everyone we know is an educated driver and practices safe driving methods. We have to hold ourselves responsible as drivers and others responsible as passengers. Make sure you or your friends are in a stable mental state before getting on the road, and make sure necessary measures are taken like taking an Uber if the driver is unstable or under the influence. As a driver, take measures to ensure alertness while on the road. One of my favorite things to say is never get too comfortable. The reason why I say this is because as soon as you get too comfortable, you think you’re invincible in your tin can. You zone out, and anything can happen. My own sister is a great example of getting too comfortable.

When I first started commuting 25 miles from Huntington Beach to La Mirada for my sport, I didn’t have my liscence so my sister would drive me for one leg, then my mom would take me the rest of the way, and my dad would pick me up afterward. My sister would not only text and drive but also play her tv show on her phone and set in on a ledge radio display. She would do this everywhere we went, from home to her daughter’s preschool, to my next stop, and probably on her way back home as well. Needless to say, she definitely had the “it won’t happen to me” mentality, which put her, her daughter, myself, and all the other drivers at risk.

Being a safe driver literally saves lives. If I’m tired, I open the windows to let in the cold air and the loud noise to keep me alert. I also like to change up my route to the places I drive to almost daily so that I never get too comfortable. And to help others be safe drivers, I take their phone if they decide they need to send a message or use the navigation and do it for them, and I never let my sister try to multitask and watch her tv show while I’m in the car with her.