Rough Draft -Essay # 4

Sheri Munson-Castro
Writing 101-Winter 2008
Craig McKenny-Instructor
March 4, 2008th
Essay # 4-rough draft

Too Fast and Too Furious:
Ready, Set, Go or living with the consequences

This is a serious problem that affects everyone around the world, not just here. Involving car accidents, where there can be more then one Victim in any given situation. Per the research out there we have between 35,000 to 40,000 car accidents per year and at least 29,000 are male drivers and the rest are female. About 25% of them are brand new drivers, and most of them are young drivers averaging between the ages of 16 and 30 years old. This is something that will affect everyone here tonight. We all have had at least one member of our family’s if not ourselves in some type of fender bender at one time or another. As we all now this can happen anytime and with out a moments notice.

Now while they teach drivers education in high school plus at some outside private classes for
teenagers as well as adults of all ages to learn, I strongly feel that they are lacking in knowledge.
I think that while they are teaching you all about cars, and the driving rules they need to teach
you something even more important: Which is how to respond to all types of case scenarios
involving all forms of weather conditions. As well as to pay more attention to the road, the
condition of the road and the drivers around you also, teaching you about road rage or fighting
with the people in your car if not alone. There have been debates going on all around us about
these very facts that they need to teach in the class as they teach driving to the people learning to drive.

Many people in the debates have been trying to get stricter driving laws as well as steeper
fines on infractions-especially for those involving drinking and driving, as well as on cell phones
enforced. So, far this has only hit the Senates chair for discussion, and not put to a vote. But, hopefully coming in the near future. They’re some down sides to these laws. Which will be in regards to driving while talking on a cell phone. One part to help avoid accidents as well as a ticket maybe to make sure you have a ear pierce. But, if not then if caught you get a ticket. This maybe the part that will be have a down side as that I will most likely get a ticket as well as others. Now on to the part involving drinking and driving, this I do feel that should be way stricter in the laws. I have seen to many accidents where there was drinking involved and serious injury’s as well as deaths incurred from it

My family is a example on being a new driver with out any prior knowledge on dealing with
all weather conditions as well as show, as well as show one level of how bad it can get and it can
happen in a moments notice. And you can be dealing with the results for the rest of your life.
Which is depending if you survive the accident at all. The example is my boyfriend; he was a
brand new driver, only 29yrs old. I was trying to teach him how to drive as we lived so far from
where he worked and was spending over 3 hours a day going to and from work. He was
impatient and went out to drive on his own without me, and it was during October-when we have the first rains. Its “Oily and slippery roads” and as even the most experience driver can tell you it, it’s very easy to lose control. We think that when he was going up the hill and going a bit
faster then he should have had due to being a large car then starting downhill and at the same
speed. Well he started to slide and not knowing any better since had not learned how to deal with the different type of weathers yet, he panic and hit the brakes hard and it cause him to flip
over/many times. He almost died from this and was so badly hurt with front lobal injury, fracture ribs and not breathing at the time the EMTS got there.

Over a year and half later we are still dealing with the consequences (physiological, emotional,
physical) caused from the results of that one moment in time. This will last a lifetime, as many of the issues he has as a result from the accident never go away.

Another example is of a young girl who was celebrating her 21st birthday in the rehabilitation center over at the UW. She was also a brand new driver who had never dealt with the kind of weather we were having that weekend of her accident. Some crazy driver who was going all over the road that night, bumped into her as she was driving on the freeway. Causing her to start to slide couldn’t get control and plowed off the road through the guardrail, she slammed right into a tree head shoving the front of her car into her chest/pelvic area. Which cause her to be paralyzed from the neck down. When we took my boyfriend home from the center, she had just gotten to the point of moving her right hand up to her mouth while gently eating Bon Bon’s. She could eat with out being on a tube if it was soft enough to swallow, the Bon Bon’s was her birthday present. What a way to spend any birthday, let alone your 21st birthday as well as the rest of them aren’t it.


Everyone of all ages and races/ethic groups need to and will be more vigilant, as well as
observant of how to respond in all types of driving conditions to avoid becoming the next victim
in a car accident and really see what the results from one can be and in a moments notice. Which is why they should include in the driving course a visit to go to see the Trauma Unit as well as the Emergency room at Harborview Medical center located in Downtown Seattle, as well as visit the Rehabilitation floor located on the 8th floor at the University of Washington Medical center located on NE Pacific Road. To see what can happen and not have to go through what we did.




Learning the driving rules and using them, and continuous keep up on learning and practicing
being responsible. No speeding, especially when changing lanes-and make sure they know your
moving over to their lane, especially at night time. As well as trying to consciously practice safer
driving and know your limits as a driver and that of your car.


Which is why I choose this particular title: Fast and Furious; The ending results that can happen
in a moment of time and place and wreck the rest of your life, your family’s as well as others if
not totally end it.


This is my family’s life. This could be yours, would you want it? Stop and really think before

driving or watch when making any of those decisions that you or those close to you make next,

as a moment in time can last you a lifetime.


I feel we would really wake up and smell the coffee. We can have more safer and calmer driving
experiences. Imagine living in a world where people actually practice well driving skills and
follow the rules in the driver-licensing book.


Resources:

1.) Dorfman, K (2000). Recovering From Trauma: Violent Crime, Car Accidents, and Disasters. Located at Amazon.com
This is an audiocassette resource for survivors of traumatic stress. This is a tape designed to help those with post-traumatic stress reactions recover from their systems. The tape has two sides to it and side one helps to educate you in the physical response from trauma, setbacks, and the stages of recovery. And side two, shows you relaxation exercises design to reduce your stress and help to control the emotional and physical problems you will have.
The author Karen Dorfman, M.S. W, L.C.S. W has provided post-trauma counseling to families for over 10 years. She received her M.S.W degree from U.C.L.A in 1988

2.) Blanchard, E and Hickling, E (2000). After the Crash: Assessment and Treatment of Motor Vehicle Accidents Survivors. Albany, NY/Published by the APA 800-374-2721

This is a book written by two gentlemen from Albany, NY. Dr Blanchard has his Ph.D from the University of Albany at SUNY and Dr Hickling has a Psy.D from Russell Sage College and Albany Medical College. Both the doctors have done massive research into the physical as well as psychological results pending from car accidents

And which there is more information on the book as well as the authors can be located at the APA News Release on the http://www.ptsdsupport.net which is a great site for those looking for more on posttraumatic stress orders.

3.) http://www.osbrake.com/teenage-driving.aspx where you can find out a lot about the statistic on teen driving as well as how many accidents per year cause by teen drivers.

4.) http://www.resource4accidents.com/topics/death.html Has great info about teen drivers and resources for help if needed