A recent article by the New York Times estimates that one-third of the U.S. population will be in a car crash. The fact that some people don’t consider the true danger of being in a several-ton vehicle going over 30 mph genuinely scares me.
I know dozens of people who have been in accidents. People I’m close to have begun to reach an age where they can drive comfortably, which means the thought that one day they might
not make it home is terrifyingly close to coming true. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow: not my mother, my partner, my sibling, my teacher or even me.
The reason for this substantial rise in car crashes is reckless habits that should have been nipped in the bud during driver’s ed. Most people have driven recklessly throughout their lives, and you may be unable to drive safely in some situations. However, living on a college campus means I’ve seen how some people are indifferent to driving while drunk or high. It’s mortifying.
I have a friend whose car accident happened a year ago. They still cannot be driven on bigger roads because of PTSD from the crash.
Another friend would let her cat roam around in her car while she was driving because, and I quote, “It won’t happen to me.” She left for home and ran off the road because her cat distracted her.
Another drove home late, accidentally drove the wrong way on a one-way street, and hit another car head-on.
I am so grateful that the only accident I’ve been in was a sideswipe that barely dented either car.
It can happen to you. It will happen to you.
Put your seatbelt on. Drive the speed limit. Get off your phone. Order that Uber or Lyft. You’d much rather get there late than dead.
