I’m Yelling from the Rooftops!

Confusion. Fear. Disbelief. It had been just a regular Wednesday, and as usual, I drove just a few miles to pick up my friend who came to youth group with me. It was an unusually windy day, so I decided it would be best to take the back roads on the 45-minute drive. This was my first time driving my friend alone without another adult. I had just gotten my license five months earlier, and I am what you would call the safest new driver anyone has ever met. Naturally, my friend’s mom felt safe putting her daughter’s life into my hands. But no one could have guessed what happened next.

Laughter filled my little car as we were having a great time hanging out together. My headlights were on, the car was going exactly 55 miles per hour, and I never took my eyes off the road even though I was talking. You’d think this would be the perfect recipe for success, but not everyone is as safe of a driver as I am.

Confusion filled my head, and I suddenly stopped talking. A vehicle from the other lane appeared to be turning left onto a side street, only they didn’t use their blinker, and the next thing I knew, confusion turned into fear as I realized this van wasn’t turning. They were headed straight towards me. I clenched the steering wheel with all I had, bracing myself for impact and hitting my brakes as hard as possible. My friend screamed, and I heard a loud noise I will never forget -the sound of two vehicles smashing into one another at what seemed to be full force.

I was in absolute disbelief. My tiny car had just been in a head-on collision with a minivan. My poor friend was hysterical. I quickly checked for injuries, and after we both appeared to be okay, my main goal was to get us out of that car as fast as I could. The crunched door was hard to escape, and the wind wasn’t helping. With all of my might, I kicked that door open, resulting in a broken toe. The door was open, and I was able to get us outside of the car. The frigid cold wind was intense, and it was difficult to hear what the 911 dispatcher was trying to tell me. Thanks to a very kind stranger, we were able to take refuge in his truck while we waited for the police to arrive.

The minivan driver was an old man who crashed into us because of medical reasons. We still aren’t sure what those reasons were, but we learned someone else had called the police on him a few hours earlier because he was running into curbs. The police had never found him, and the unfortunate result was a totaled car, a broken toe, and my friend who had deep bruising on her leg and chest from the airbag and seat belt. The van driver had also dislocated his ankle and was driven to the hospital in an ambulance.

Today, I am writing this essay to yell from the rooftops about safe driving. My friend and I were very fortunate, and the craziest part was that I was doing everything you were supposed to do. You can be as safe as possible, but the roads are still extremely dangerous if other people aren’t educated well enough to be great drivers. Recently, I have noticed that all of my friends who have gone through driver’s ed are terrified of driving but also very safe. This might just be my friend group, but it could also be because drivers ed is pushing really hard to drill harsh truths into the next generation of drivers. This is all fantastic, and I think it is working, but even with myself, after taking driver’s ed over a year ago, I have noticed that people have started to become less concerned. They start believing the lies that those horrible things could never happen to them. If these thoughts begin just months after going through driver’s ed, imagine all the adults who haven’t taken driver’s ed in years.

This is a real problem, and I believe I have a solution that could really make an impact. Instead of just taking driver’s ed once and being done with it forever. What if you had to watch a free 1-2 hour driver’s ed video each year to continue being licensed? This video could consist of up-to-date statistics, essential things to remember while driving, and even a basic overview of driving rules. Most importantly, this video would be a reminder of how important it is to be a safe driver and the horrors of distracted/impaired driving.

Taking a step as simple as having a 1-2 hour mandatory yearly video could drastically help reduce deaths on the road by reminding everyone how dangerous driving can be and the reasons why it is not a subject to take lightly. Distracted or even reckless driving is a habit that can be hard to break if they have been practiced by someone for years. We don’t want all of these people to learn the hard way; instead, we should be proactive in educating the public on safe driving to make the roads a better place.

Where does safe driving start? It starts with all of us. All of us making a conscious choice to be alert and ready for anything. When you are in complete control of a 2,500+ pound vehicle going 70 miles per hour, it is essential to remember what you have been taught and what the statistics are. 2 crashes occur every 10 seconds. 118 people die in car accidents daily. 19,937 crashes every single day. Remember what is at stake every time you enter a car. Drive defensive, alert, and obey all traffic rules.