According to the World Health Organization (WHO), annually, there are 1.35 million deaths in car crashes. Additionally, it is estimated that over 90 percent of the accidents are caused by driver negligence. Not only are lives destroyed when they are taken in a car crashes, but motor vehicle accidents have destroyed even more lives than we know: let’s take a moment to think about this. Many have survived accidents, but are left with injuries that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Many have lost a loved one in a car crash, and will have to navigate life without a parent, sibling, child, or other family member. And lastly, those who have caused an accident due to negligence in which someone passed away, will have to live knowing someone else’s life was ended because of their negligence. How long are we going to allow driving negligence to destroy lives? Many say what can I do, but instead, what if we say what if I did nothing? It is most certain that we shall all die one day, but why should lives be cut short because of a foolish mistake that could have been avoided? They shouldn’t. We should fight for more policies to prevent theses unfortunate deaths. We should teach new drivers more caution and to value the lives of others on the road. We should demand as citizens that systems are put in place to protect those on the road. Three countries that the rest of the world could learn from when it comes to road safety are Iceland, Sweden, and Norway. Because of public transportation, and better laws to prevent accidents these countries have consistently had much lower traffic accident rates than many other countries, proving that road safety is possible if we prioritize it. If we as individuals stand up and beg for  safer driving policies and form networks with others who feel the same way, if we educate the public on the importance of this, if prioritize safety on the road, than we will one day see change and life will be protected, and life is worth protecting. According to centers for disease control and prevention, the leading cause of death from ages 5-29 is motor vehicle accidents. Imagine young children, many of which aren’t even old enough to drive being ripped from a full life ahead of them, because of the careless behavior of another being. All life should be protected, bet should we not take extra measures to protect children, those who cannot protect themselves? Donte we owe to future generations a safer world to grow up in than what we have? Don Brown said, “An incident is just the tip of the iceberg, a sign of a much larger problem below the surface.” The problem isn’t just human negligence, though that is part of it, but it is that we don’t have policies in place to prevent accidents these, that we don’t prioritize safety. So, knowing the lives both taken and destroyed because of traffic accidents, what are going to do it? It is better to do something than to do nothing. If we say and do nothing, if we pretend this is not an issue, if we close our eyes and turn our backs to this awful thing going on in our world, than it will only continue to destroy lives, but cannot happen if we unite and demand change. We must prioritize safety for the good of the world, for the protection of children, and for our own well beings. What if there was a policy that took away forever the license of any one caught drunk driving on their first offense? This may sound harsh but too many lives have been lost because of drunk drivers, and many times it’s not the drunks first offense. What if public transportation was more accessible so teenagers didn’t need to get their licenses as soon as they turned sixteen? What if driving test were more difficult, screening out many who aren’t yet qualified to drive? There are things we can do to bring safety, but safety doesn’t come on its own, it must be fought for. We can bring change, but we must first believe in it. Change comes from within, it’s starts in one’s own heart and life, and they change because of it, than they share that change with others, and becomes greater and more widespread. The question is, do you believe in protecting life enough to actually do so? Do you want to see change even if it means you bringing it about? I do!