If Only

I was ten years old. I received a phone call. I didn’t know what to
say.

My best friend had been in a serious car accident.

My best friend

was nearly dead.

had shattered her
spine.

couldn’t walk.

couldn’t resume
life as it was before that crippling accident.

If only

she had been buckled
in.

her brother had
learned to drive more safely.

something had been
different.

If only.

Drivers ed is
so very critical in an increasingly motor-vehiclist driven society.
Even the smallest, seemingly insignificant rules are important.
Drivers ed teaches of the serious dangers that come with unsafe
driving, and these warnings must be heeded.

Buckle your
seatbelt.

Use turn signals.

Follow the speed
limit.

Drive alert and
without impairment.

Please, for your
safety, do not ignore these warnings.

It is the smallest
lessons we are taught that can potentially save lives.

Driving education
can provide the necessary warnings that will teach young drivers of
the dangers that come with irresponsible driving. Teach one
individual to drive safely, and he will never endanger his life on
the road. But you cannot promise him that his life will be safe. You
must teach every individual to drive safely so that his life will
never be endangered on the road.

I have learned to
drive without checking my phone. I have learned to drive carefully in
extreme weather. I have learned to avoid the road rage that comes
with aggressive drivers. I have learned to stop completely at stop
signs. I have learned to never run a red light, even when I am late
for school. I have learned that no form of risky driving is worth the
risk of my own life or anyone else’s life.

My friends wonder
why I grip the grab handle when the driver

stops suddenly

makes a quick turn

runs a red light

speeds 30 mph over
the limit

drives unsafely.

And every time, I
can’t gather the courage to tell them the horrible story.

I just say

“I don’t like
unsafe driving.”

Because I know what
happened to my best friend that day, eight years ago, was
preventable.

If only

she had been buckled
in.

her brother had
driven safely.

something had been
different, but you can’t change the past.

You can only change
the future.

If only.