Lexy Hughes
Take Notice, Drive Safe
A simple distraction
while
driving
can
change a person and a
family’s life forever;
they are being affected
even in our neighboring
communities.
On November 8,
2013, even Holliday
was hit with destruction
as the recent graduates
from Holliday High
School died on their way
home from college; they
attended South Plains
College in Lubbock,
Texas. A car driven by a
elderly women collided
head-on with the two
girls
on
Seymour
Highway. The elderly
woman was driving on
the wrong side of the
highway when the cars
collided.
Even though it
wasn’t the girls’ fault,
they were affected by
another’s poor choice.
The choice that defined
the boundary between
life they had and the one
they had to leave behind.
On January 3, 2014
only three days into
our new year, a high
schooler and a recent
graduate from Archer
City passed away after
being in a four-car crash.
The crash was caused by
the lead vehicle slowing
down to a near stop on
Kell West, which caused
the cars behind it to
crash into each other.
The two Archer City
boys lost their lives and
another was put into
the hospital, as was a
middle-aged
woman
from a separate vehicle;
they were sent to United
Regional Hospital, in
Wichita Falls, in critical
condition.
The
reasons
behind the accident are
unknown, but whatever
made the lead driver
come to a near stop,
ended in broken hearts
and shattered lives.
“Distracted driving
is a dangerous epidemic
on America’s roadways.
In 2012 alone, 3,328
were killed in distracted
driving
crashes,”
according to distraction.
gov
That’s only from
being
distracted.
Accidents are happening
everyday, people die
painful deaths because
of other’s mistakes and
lives are affected.
“Car crashes kill
more young people
than any other cause,
accounting for nearly
half of all teen deaths in
America each year. Over
3,000 U.S. teens die
each year in car crashes;
that’s the equivalent of
a commercial jet loaded
with teenagers crashing
once every other week
for an entire year,”
according to t-driver.
com
It’s a harsh reality
to know, for those who
have lost a loved one to
a car accident.
“I got a call from
someone saying that
two of my friends had
died in a car accident.
At first, I didn’t believe
them. I thought maybe
it was just a harsh joke.
It took multiple people
telling me for it to really
register that they really
did die. I had seen them
just earlier that day
when I picked up my
older brother from their
house. I had no idea that
within the next hour, or
so, they would be dead.
That’s when you start to
feel your heart breaking.
All the memories rush
into your head and make
it impossible to think
about anything else for
days. This is one of the
most difficult things
I’ve gone through in my
life. I guess eventually
it’ll get better but I will
always feel an ache
when I think of them
and the accident that
took their lives. I’m just
glad I got to go to their
funerals to say good-bye
even though it was hard.
I think it really helped to
bring some piece to the
hurt,” Archer City eighth
grader Chesney Farris
said.
When
something
sudden that is as tragic
as death happens, it
makes it hard to forget.
“When my dear
friend died from being
hit by a car, my life
became forever changed.
She had been running on
a foggy day, when a man
driving a truck hit her.
Her death left a scar on
the community. Many
lives, besides my own,
were impacted greatly.
People started helping
out with businesses she
volunteered at, showing
up to our church because
she had went there,
even the local news
did specials about how
much she had helped
our community with
her caring heart. While
some may remember
her legacy, I remember
her friendship and love.
That’s why I will never
forget what happened
to her,” Electra fifth
grade math teacher Pam
Hughes said.
There is a way to help
prevent some accidents
from happening.
“Whether
the
distraction is inside
your vehicle or outside,
your willingness to be
distracted will influence
how successful you are
in freeing yourself of
driving
distractions.
Your personality and
driving experience are
both factors in how
easily you lose focus.
It is easier for you to
control the inside of your
vehicle. For example,
you can make a decision
to establish a pre-trip
routine to set your radio
buttons, mirrors, and
seat before you drive.
You can also decide not
to eat in the car, answer
the cell phone, or play
movies. Reduce your
chances of having an
accident by working on
driver distractions. You
can control distractions
inside your vehicle
more readily than those
outside.” according to
dmv.org
Remember to drive safely on the road to help prevent tragedy!