Better Late Than Dead On Time
Why Hurt The People You Love By Hurting Yourself?
She was kind. She was fair. A friendship that was rare. She was smart. But she tore us apart. She did something that stopped her heart. She should still be alive. She thought is was ‘only a drive’. We thought it was impossible… “she will revive”. She put her life in jeopardy. Now all we have are memories. I still wonder why. Why we had to say goodbye. All we could do was cry. Now all we can say is Rest In Peace, fly high.
Everyone has experienced loss in their life. But the greatest loss, is losing someone who you cant imagine living without. Imagine losing a friend, family member, co-worker, your other half or anyone who means something to you. How would you feel? Upset? Lost? How about if I told you that their death could have been prevented? That their actions are the reason they’re gone? That you could have stopped what happened to them…how do you feel now? Angry? Confused? Maybe even guilty. I used to think that everyone around me were always safe. That nothing could hurt them and take them away from me. That thought left and never came back on the 30th of May 2016.
Rhonda Audisho, 17, killed in Wetherill Park car crash
Teen girl killed after car flipped onto roof in Sydney’s west
The 17-year-old girl killed in a horror crash
Friends mourn Sydney teen who died in shock car crash
On the 30th of May 2016, my friend and co-worker Rhonda Audisho made it on the news.
She died in a car accident at the age of 17…only 17. I always thought of death being for the old and for the sick. Not for a high school student with a future ahead of her. The truth is, teenagers think they’re invincible. That what is seen on the news about teenagers passing away can not happen to them. But this was a wake up call, to so many people. Mistakes happen, but some mistakes cant be taken back, they cant be said sorry for. It is events like this that forever have an effect on the people that loved her. Not only on people that personally knew her but everyone in the community.
“When adults say, “Teenagers think they are invincible” with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are.” — John Green, Looking For Alaska
The feelings began with being upset and lost. But that only led to anger. You begin to think, maybe if she wasn’t speeding, she would still be here. Maybe if she stuck to the speed limit, thing would be different…or really the same as before. In a society like todays, these incidences only forever effect the people who were surrounded by the person who has passed, where communities are only affected in that moment, until they’re forgotten about and the same mistakes happen again. It is a cycle of PAIN, LOSS AND GRIEF that the community will continue to experience because of ignorance, innocence and being uneducated on the dangers of speeding.
Let me ask you the following questions:
- Would you ever want to hurt the people you love?
- How many times have you sped in your car so you wouldn’t be late to something?
- How often do you see deaths on the news from unsafe driving but still continue to drive recklessly thinking nothing will happen?
- Do you want to be the reason for someone else’s pain?
- Or worse, someone else’s death?
Alone, people often can not make a difference. But if a community seeks to see change, the smallest contribution from each individual can make a life changing different. Working towards having the car accident death rates of people to ZERO will have less people grieving, less people losing and less people in pain. There are so many ways a community can change the behaviour of individuals driving. Did you know that the Road and Maritime Services (RMS) in NSW runs a Safer Drivers Course each year? But heres the catch. How many people actually know of this course? And how many people can actually afford to pay for it? Should people have to pay to learn the dangers of driving? Think of the effect that this class may have had on many individuals who could have taken it. Maybe they would still be here. Maybe they would have driven with a different mindset. The RMS began to offer a thousand people per year a free session for this class. Sounds good right? Wrong. In order to be eligible for a free spot in the lesson, there were specific outlines. A requirement was to be under the age of 25. But shouldn’t all people of all ages be given the opportunity to learn safety? Another being having completed 50 log book hours. But shouldn’t the driver understand the dangers of driving a car before getting in one? Learning to be safe should not cost. To help spread that learning to be safe on the roads should not cost, we can start of small by signing the following petition to start to make the issue aware to the public.
Did you know? (gathered from the NSW road fatalities report)
- So far this year (2017), 144 people have already lost their lives because of car accidents
- 12,160 people had serious injuries from reckless driving last year (2016)
- Fatal crashes on roads sign posted under 60km/h went up from 54 in 2015 to 72 in 2016 and 80km/h went up from 50 in 2015to 65 in 2016
- Number of P Plate drivers killed has increased from 19 in 2015 to 25 in 2016
These are just a few of the many statistics provided showing the deaths of people in Australia from unsafe driving. Be the change you want to see. Strive for zero and make your voice heard. Tell your stories to educate others and make this issue aware to all. Alone we are nothing, but together we can make a difference. Learning to be safe on the road can save hundreds every year, people should have the right to understand the dangers of driving. Keep the discussion alive through social media on twitter and facebook by hash tagging #betterlatethandeadontime #safetyshouldbefree #stayeducated #downtozero #stopthecycle
Stay aware, Stay safe and Stay Alive.
Take your time, not a life
How sorry will you be
Theres no one someone wont miss
The party is over…Before it has begun
