The Moment Time Stood Still

Abigail Leavitt

The
Moment Time Stood Still

I still remember the
moment we hit. The panic in my sister’s eyes, my sweaty palms, the
song in the background. The impact of us hitting a telephone pole,
the back window shattering, and how I couldn’t quite figure out why
my neck hurt so bad. I later realized that it was from the whiplash
of my head slamming against the headrest. I don’t know how my only
injury from this was having a sore neck. It seems
implausible—impossible, even. The car had slipped on black ice at
55 mph, spun around, and the rear of the vehicle slammed into a
telephone pole.

I was in 8^th
grade when this happened, but, as time went on, and I was in Driver’s
Ed, my hands constantly shook at the wheel and I was a slow driver.
In a sense, I still am. I don’t speed or run through stop signs. I
don’t put on my makeup or eat lunch at the wheel. Come wintertime,
I leave early for school so that I don’t have to hurry on the ice.
From the accident I had with my sister, I have learned how to be a
safe driver.

But, there are other
ways than being traumatized to become a safe driver. An important
step in reducing the number of people who die every year from car
accidents is having loved-ones and instructors share stories of how
they have been impacted by distracted driving. Rather than facts that
seem to go in one ear and out the other, being able to emotionally
connect with something is far more impactful. Teenagers need to be
taught in Drivers Ed that having their license isn’t an excuse
to race or drive irresponsibly, it’s a privilege.

It is important to
speak up when driving with someone who is being irresponsible and to
not be afraid of doing so. Oftentimes, the person will put down their
distraction, apologize, and say that they will try to be better. By
speaking up early on, teens will be able to identify and avoid
distracted driving tendencies, keeping them safer in the long run.
With drunk driving, we need to realize that we can speak up and
candidly say that someone isn’t fit to drive.

Distracted driving is something that upcoming generations struggle
with and can be improved upon. Older people can set good examples
when driving, and individually, we need to be up to date with any new
laws of the road. Because in the end, that text will be there in 10
minutes. The burrito will still be good at home. You can fix your
makeup later. The laws of the land were made for good reason—to
keep others, and yourself, safe. To become a better driver, it takes
a contentious effort of putting down distractions and becoming more
focused on what is happening right in front of us and taking it one
day at a time.