Small chance, high consequence.

Two persons sitting in a room opposite each other. One listens, the other speaks. She’s talking about something that happened to her in the recent past. Something bad. Something really, really awful. One evening she was in a car, as a passenger. Her boyfriend next to her, driving. They were on their way to an evening party in a small village. It was a cold and dark winter night. The weather was ok, the air was clear, only the darkness on the quiet road made the ride a bit more challenging. Just a bit. There was not much traffic. Sometimes it took a while before they met any oncoming traffic on the two way road. The speed limit was 80 km/h. Her boyfriend drove around 81, 82. He was paying attention to the road while they were talking. The radio was playing music in the background. The atmosphere was relaxed, though they were excited and looking forward to the party. Up to now they had had lots of fun with their friends at parties and this night promised to be the same. Promised. If they had arrived. What they didn’t know is that this night their life would change. But not in a way they wished for. Because what happened was their worst nightmare. The last thing she can remember of this evening are two bright headlights coming closer in a fast speed. And a sound. An awful loud sound. Metal, glass, and a scream. That was the last sound she would ever hear from the voice of her boyfriend. Her last memory of him. The love of her life. Her soulmate with whom she shared everything. But he is no longer here, not in this room. Not at home. He’s nowhere anymore. He is no more. That evening his life ended. There was no more ‘they’. It’s only ‘she’ now. What’s left of her. Alone in her wheelchair. She tells her life changing story to the person in front of her. A person who thinks texting while driving is possible and risk free. Because if the circumstances are right, what can happen? No severe weather circumstances, only the cold temperature. A clear road, almost no one there. Her story proves something like this can still happen. Because this has happened to her and him. And she will be reminded of the accident every day, every second, for the rest of her life. The wheelchair is permanent. She won’t be able to live without it. The one whom she thought and hoped she would never live without is gone. And this is her souvenir of their last experience together. Sometimes she wishes that they had died together. The only thing that gives her life some meaning now is trying to make people aware of the impact of the choices they make to distract themselves in traffic by doing something other than paying attention to the road while they drive .Try to make them aware of possible consequences, because not paying attention in traffic can have theirs and other people’s lives. The chance an event like this will happen is small, the impact is huge.

The person opposite her listens. Tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t know. Didn’t realise the impact of such a seemingly small thing. Just sending one text message while he drives on an almost deserted road. The one who caused the accident isn’t able to tell her story. The rescuers found a phone. The last text sent one second before the accident happened. Maybe she thought she saw something on the road. Perhaps she had to dodge something, or thought she had to. Because she was texting she responded inaccurately. One small miscalculation because she was distracted. Such an immense consequence. Three lives destroyed.

This story is fictional, though imaginable. Accidents of this kind do happen. Situations in which risks and chances of something happening are extremely low. But it happens because people do let themselves be distracted. And not only on roads where the circumstances seem safe. It also happens in more crowded situations. The question that remains is how to change this behavior? Not only letting yourself get distracted while driving, but also other behavior that puts people at risk. Traffic is a social group and a social activity. Let’s be social about it then. What will you change today to improve your driving skills in order to reduce risky behavior in traffic?