On June 26, 2007, 17 year old Bailey Goodman was driving to Keuka Lake. She, along with her four friends who were riding with her, had graduated from Fairpoint High School and were headed off to college in the upcoming fall. They had decided to celebrate and relax that night. That night, however, was not to end in celebration, but in tears and death. The last text Bailey’s mother ever received from Bailey was at 10:07 PM, less than a minute before Bailey collided headfirst with a tractor trailer truck. All five young adults were killed in the devasting car accident. Bailey was just one of nearly 34,000 people who die in a car accident each year, and her family was just one of thousands that was devastated by a car accident. 

            Like Bailey, I passed my driver’s test just earlier this year. I had obtained what some teenagers may view to be the pinnacle of their high school career: my driver’s license. I knew, however, that it came with a high level of responsibility. The choices I make while driving affect not only my life, but the lives of those around me. As a driver, safety on the road is my number one priority. 

            Many people have different definitions of “safety on the road,” definitions that often include texting. However, impaired driving does not only occur when somebody is driving while drunk. Impaired driving is driving when distracted by anything, whether when the driver’s mind is clouded by alcohol or distracted by texting. The danger of texting is so often ignored when driving because we “have to send this text.” Truth is that texting can wait. That stop sign cannot and will not wait. There is only one safe way to drive: with the driver’s full attention on the road and his surroundings. No drinking, no texting, no impairments. 

            I have never experienced what Bailey experienced because I turn off my phone and focus on the road. However, that is not to say my family has never been affected by car crashes. My mother was once in a devastating car crash. With some friends, she was headed to a picnic as a passenger princess. A car ignored a stop sign and drove in front of her ride. As her car T-boned the distracted driver’s car, she sprained her back and received much bruising across her abdomen. She could not sit up without help, and she had to be flown in a helicopter to a hospital because of suspected internal bleeding. Although, years later, she is healthy, my mother still tells me the story. It reminds me that safe driving saves lives. 

            I am deeply thankful to say that I have never been in a car crash while at the wheel. This is because I took the time to educate myself in proper driving safety. I intentionally took my driver’s education courses, paying deep attention to the rules of the road. My parents have also played a big role in teaching me to drive safety as well as modeling it themselves. As a parent-taught driver, I was taught to drive by my father. I learned firsthand what it looks like to be a safe driver. 

            What if more people took the time to educate themselves on safe driving? What if more people took the time to teach people what safe driving looks like? I believe we would see a drastic decrease in the number of deaths from preventable car crashes. Not only would people understand what it means to be an impaired driver, but it would also educate them on what devastation a car crash can wreak. It would educate drivers on what to do when something unexpected happens on the road. We would all drive safer as a result, and we would all be safer. 

            The most important thing you and I can do right now is drive safely on my roads, busy or not. You and I can pay attention to changing conditions and stay alert. You and I can certainly wait to send that text! I know that when I drive safe, I save lives. When you drive safe, you, too, save lives. 

            Bailey’s story, which has happened to so many young people and their families, does not have to repeat. What happened to my mother does not have to happen to another’s mother. 34,000 people do not have to suffer and die each year. Through intentional driving without impairments, our roads will be safer. When we take the time to educate not only ourselves, but our friends and children as well, we will all be safer. I can drive safely. You can drive safely. Together, we can drive safely.