I'm not one for sensationalism in writing...

but once in a while a sensationalistic story comes along and demands to be told. This is one of those stories:

[This is one of my first attempts at writing in third-person narrative. I'm trying to experiment with different writing styles...brace yourselves...no seriously, wear a seatbelt.]

Sunday morning began like a quintessential Mormon Sunday morning: wake up and get ready for church. Jessica's complimentary wake-up call had himself not awaken, which led to a late start in the getting ready process. After springing out of bed, Jessica proceeded to make "good" time while scurrying to shower and apply makeup. Frequent glances at the clock made her realize that her rushing was in fact futile, and she might as well give up and submit herself to unavoidable tardiness. The laborious walk up to campus in 4 inch heels proved itself to be trying, but Jessica managed to scramble up while maintaining composure and poise. Church was nothing out of the ordinary: Relief Society in all its table display goodness, Sunday school in all its doctrinal goodness, and testimony meeting featuring everyone's favorite mad dash to the pulpit. Following church, Jessica lounged around the house and eventually dozed off for a much needed nap.

Later that evening, a friend of Jessica's asked if she would like to go out for a drive. Jessica agreed, though a bit hesitant since she was still tired and wasn't sure if she could pull off being a good conversationalist. In the past, late night car rides had not been conducive to stimulating conversations. The conversation in the car began to wane as Jessica succumbed to the car's gentle rocking. The lulling background music, the fleece blanket which enveloped her in warmth, both combining to seal a fate of slumber.

Jessica's slumber was only to be interrupted twice. The first time, a groggy Jessica woke to ask her friend if he was tired. After being reassured that he was not, she resumed her sleeping position: neck drooped to the side, legs extended as far as they could stretch. The second time, Jessica was awakened by the sound of metal being scraped against concrete. The sound was disturbing as it seemed to be inappropriate for such a peaceful drive. Roused from her sleep, Jessica began to try and grasp the situation at hand. Seconds later, a more deafening sound shook the cabin of the car. Screaming in terror, Jessica felt her body being thrown forward as another force attempted to hold her back. The impact left her stunned and unable to move, a pillowy mass blocked her vision as a powdery substance pervaded the car and filled the air with the scent of burning chemicals.

Unable to breathe, Jessica grabbed the door handle and hastily pushed it open. Fresh air began to dilute the overpowering odor. A frantic friend began to ask Jessica if she was alright. Not wanting to heighten the panic of an already shocked and confused friend, she replied that she would be okay.

The aftermath:
Jessica called 911. Paramedics and police arrived to a car that closely resembled an accordion. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and the car had become intimate friends with a pole.

My purpose in writing this was not to worry people over my well-being. I have some minor injuries but nothing serious or life threatening. I wrote this in order to to warn those who believe that they can "get by" while driving drowsy. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, "60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year" (NSF, 2009).

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness" (NSF, 2009).

I know I have justified driving while less than awake on many occasion. It is often difficult to gauge our own tiredness especially when we are so eager to reach our destination. My friend and I crashed one mile from my house...we were one mile from reaching our destination. Sunday's accident was a wake-up call that has changed the way I view driving. Nothing is worth compromising your safety, or the safety or your passengers...not even the prospect of reaching your destination in a timely matter. Pull over, take a nap.

I also write this because writing truly serves as a catharsis for me; writing is therapeutic and I so badly needed a medium in which I could express the confusion and frustration that accompanied the accident. Writing in third person helped me to distance myself from the accident, which is what I'm trying to do with each passing day, little by little.



For more information about driving drowsy visit: http://drowsydriving.org/