How to Save a Life

Sitting at my desk stressing about my homework, I held up my head in my hands thinking to myself that life couldn’t possibly get any worse. At that exact moment, my twin sister stormed into my room and between sobs managed to blurt out “La mère de Chloe est morte”. Chloe’s mother is dead. I felt my heart sink and I froze as I heard the words leave her mouth, as if I had seen a ghost. She then closed the door as she weeped while I was left alone in my room with a million questions clouding my mind.

I had learned that day that our best friend’s mother was biking on her way home when a reckless driver ran into her. We were told that she was found so terribly mutilated, the doctors needed someone to visit and identify the body. “The body” I kept repeating in my head. Not her gentle soul, not her contagious laugh, but her corpse was all that was left.

I spent that night staring at the ceiling and thinking about how devastating it was to have a life be taken away so quickly. Just a few weeks before the accident my mother and her were laughing over the phone, unaware that it would be the last time they ever talked. One second they were making vacation plans and the next, my mother was sending flowers to her grave. I spent all night thinking about how she would never get to grow old, see her children graduate, hold Chloe in her arms at her wedding. She will never come back, all because of an accident that could’ve so easily been prevented. Instead, it cost us her precious life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately two million car accidents that occur in the United States per year, with about 42,915 deaths recorded in the year of 2021. Driver’s education emphasizes the importance of not driving under the influence, tired/ drowsy, or while speeding, which are all the main causes of these fatal accidents. Educating the public is the best and most efficient way to spread valuable information that could save a life. By encouraging that, there would be a surplus of people choosing not to get behind the wheel unless it were completely safe, thus preventing these accidents. Being aware of these rules can lead to better drivers on the road and decrease the absurdly high statistics the US holds for accidents.

Several additional steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving. For example, installing mandatory breathalyzers in every car manufactured in the United States to prohibit the driver from being able to physically turn on their engine if found over the legal alcohol limit. This would ensure that the person would find an alternative to driving under the influence which could potentially save their life and the lives of others on the road. With that in mind, alcohol- serving establishments (such as bars, clubs, etc…) should create a safety system where each of these institutions hire taxis that are available during all hours of the night, and pay to take guests from these facilities back to their homes cautiously. They could potentially partner with well known transportation companies such as Uber or Lyft which could boost both businesses.

Personally, driving safely has always been a core lesson I was taught growing up. With my father having lost his mother due to a car accident and my mother having seen the catastrophic damages crashes can result in, driving was always a privilege my parents raised me to never take for granted. With that said, I consistently take the necessary measures in ensuring I stay safe on the road. However, there is always room to grow and improve in life, with driving being one of them. In order to be a better driver on the road, I intend on never getting behind the wheel if I am not completely confident, to never break any of the driving laws because they were set in place for my safety, and to review them from time to time to refresh my memory. Moreover I will continue to share these rules I have created for myself with others to spread as much information as I possibly can, and educate the people around me.

A life is too precious to lose due to an accident that could so easily be avoided to begin with, because no one should get behind the wheel and think that they may never get to their destination. It is unfortunately too late to save Chloe’s mother, but not too late to save everyone else. That is why driver’s education is crucial, because it protects lives.