When I was so young that I wasn’t eligible to attend elementary school, I was forced to understand the harsh reality of what my mother did for a living: write condolences and thank you letters to the families of organ donors who had died in car accidents. She would come home shaken and teary-eyed, using up all her personal peace and comfort to help steady others. She saw children, parents, and lonely strangers of the world wheeled into the building day after day, lifeless but still giving. Our car did not move unless we were buckled up. As technology grew more advanced, the car did not move while smartphones were turned on. My car will always be the same, with or without my mother’s physical presence, because the memory of all that she had done and seen remains with me forever.
People may laugh at you for asking friends to buckle up. They might try to text anyway. Stand strong in your convictions, because the reality of it is that every single one of us is only one glance downwards away from becoming a statistic. When you care about someone, truly care, it's worth being “that person.” The minor annoyance is so much greater than risking a life. There are so many ways to help:
- If you know someone is driving, just wait to call or text them. There is nothing so urgent it's worth a life.
- If you are driving, resist the urge! It can wait.
- Insist your loved ones wear their seatbelts. There's no good reason not to.
- Insist drivers leave their phones alone. They can have passengers make important calls or correspondence.
- If someone on the road is driving distractedly, feel free to honk and let them know that their driving has been affected by what they're attempting. Many times we don't realize just how distracted we are, and especially never thought that we could be endangering others.
Applying makeup? Looking a little pallid is better than looking DEAD. I can wait.
Eating? Okay, I understand being hungry but at the very least unwrap your tacos beforehand. Or, even better, just chill out and wait. If you're really THAT hungry, it means you've already waited long enough.
There's no good reason for any distraction. And if you still, after reading all this, insist on driving distractedly, sign up for organ donation. If you want to be an idiot, at least be an idiot responsibly.
