"Accountability breeds response-ability."
-Stephen Covey
No one wants to see the glow of blue and red police lights in their rearview mirror. That is a fact. Even White people, who are much less likely to have a violent encounter with law enforcement, have no interest in being pulled over. The police make us all nervous. While my anxiety, as a Black woman, is more complex and nuanced— RIP Sandra Bland— I truly believe most people automatically tense up at the thought of interaction with law enforcement.
For people of color, law enforcement has been historically used as an extension of slavery and White supremacy. For White folks, getting caught doing something against the rules is an inconvenience. Still, I get it when people don’t want their fellow man to get caught up. Racial sensitivities excluded; we have a real us against them attitude towards law enforcement. So, we do things to let others know where the police are hiding, organizing or otherwise just doing their damn job. I know because I used to be one of those people.
How many times have you flicked your lights to let someone know the police are down the road? How many times have you called back to the house to let family know where the police are sitting? I’ve recently even witnessed social media posts advising folks the location of safety checks. Really? Really.
We have to do better y’all. This isn’t a law enforcement problem. This is an issue of accountability and responsibility. When you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle you are immediately responsible for some shit. The least of which are the individuals who decide to get in the car with you. If you don't take that seriously; their will be accountability.
We live in an age where even when it’s your fault; you don’t want to be held accountable. The issue is so pervasive that not only don’t you want to be caught— you don’t want perfect strangers to be caught either. The hell? Yes! Avoiding a Speeding Ticket: The Great Unifier. That’s the reason I used to flick my lights at people I didn’t know. I was projecting my desire to not be reprimanded or punished by letting other people know how not to get caught.
This behavior is wrong. This behavior is also dangerous.
There is a penalty for driving above the posted speed limit. There is a penalty for impaired driving. There is a penalty for reckless driving. Everyone knows the rules.
Fun Fact: They teach an entire class called "Driver's Ed" to teach aspiring drivers all the rules of the road. If you manage to miss this class you are mandated to take a test proving you understand the rules of the road before you may obtain a license. If you still don't understand these rules... Get a bike... or a Big Wheel.
And if you're riding dirty without a license at all??? Well, silly, you deserve what you get. We all deserve to face fair, equitable consequences for breaking the law.
Imagine a drunk driver checks his Facebook account before pulling away from a house party. He scrolls and comes across your post announcing the police have a check point on 87th and Damen. With that information that driver decides to take another route. The drunk driver strikes and kills a toddler and his uncle on 87th and State. Is this your responsibility? Does some of this devastation rest on your shoulders?
Imagine you pass the police in their lil hiding spot waiting for unsuspecting speeders. This time you were driving responsibly so you made it through. You get down the road a piece and a car approaches. You quickly flick your lights, having no idea whether they are speeding or not. You’re doing your fellow man a solid; right? Everybody needs a break; right? They slow down until they pass the police, but immediately accelerate to a speed unsafe for conditions, lose control of the car, hit a tree, ejecting their best friend from the vehicle. She’s pronounced dead at the scene. The driver is paralyzed. Who’s to blame? Would the outcome have been different if you hadn’t alerted them?
Listen, maybe this sounds dramatic to you. Not. To. Me.
Drunk driving statistics are astounding.
“Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes—that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016. Drunk-driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. In 2010, the most recent year for which cost data is available, these deaths and damages contributed to a cost of $44B per year.”
Seatbelt statistics are also alarming.
“Of the 37,461 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016, 48 percent were not wearing seat belts. In 2016 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,668 lives and could have saved an additional 2,456 people if they had been wearing seat belts.”
Stop flicking your lights. Stop warning people about safety checkpoints.
You are not helping. In fact, you are doing the exact opposite. You are complicit by aiding impaired drivers in evading consequences for unethical and illegal behavior. Your seatbelt is uncomfortable? Imagine the discomfort of your grieving family or the person whose job it is to scrape your brain matter off the highway. You like to drive fast? Find a race track. You like to drink and get drunk? Fine. Party at your home or grab some of your friends couch. If your friends aren't cool with that... YOU. NEED. NEW. FRIENDS. If you can drink at my house; you can stay at my house.
Your desire to do what you want does not supersede the rights of people who have the unfortunate experience of sharing the road with you.
You never thought about it like that? Well, that’s why I’m here.
I’m not a fan of brow beating. I’m really not about that life. All I’m saying is— When you know better you need to do better. I had an epiphany about this one day. I never flicked my lights again.
I'm not here because I'm an expert. I'm here because I have experiences. -Stephanie