Teen horror crashes just keep happening

On Friday morning I walked into the office to hear a teenager had died after a car crash in Perth. “It’s almost like deja vu,” my colleague said to me as I sat down at my desk. Last Thursday night, six teenagers were in a car which struck the side of a kerb and hit a tree. A 15-year-old and 17-year-old lost their lives that night and their friends will live with the consequences. It was only in April when two teenagers died in an accident after a teenage girl lost control of a car and struck a tree in Busselton. This news comes only a day after the 17-year-old was sentenced to more than three years’ detention over the manslaughter of her two friends. My first instinct was to call my younger brother; was he the teen who lost control of his car? I knew he was responsible, much more responsible than I was at his age, yet there was some part of me that was certain he could be lying in a hospital bed while I sat 200km away from home. That weekend driving back to Perth, I took notice of the crosses and flower memorials on the side of the road. I hugged my brother, grateful for his safety yet heartbroken for the families whose sons and daughters didn’t return home that night. I know exactly why teenagers hop into cars, boys crammed into the boot or sitting on their mate’s laps. I had done it myself so many times yet I’d been fortunate enough to spare my parents the heartbreak. Moving down to the regions, I have seen first hand how dangerous these roads can be. Reporting on car crashes, seeing then happen right in front of my eyes — our cars are a deadly weapon we all have access to. Schools go to such lengths to try to teach children how to drive responsibly. My school had the RAC come in every year to teach us about the importance of safe driving. We had a guest speaker who had become a paraplegic after a car accident. Yet we still walked to the parking lot and jumped into our P-plated cars and drove home. Next month, our Year 12 leavers will be celebrating schoolies in the South West. On the thrill of graduation and no doubt alcohol in their system, I am hanging on tight hoping that they don’t pick up their car keys and that they all return home safe. I don’t know if there will ever be enough education to stop these teenagers from making the same mistakes we have seen repeated time and time again. The misfortune of those accidents, the heartbreak of their families, the guilt carried by those young drivers are things that will never be forgotten. Remind your children to be safe, and show gratitude every time they come home. I hope that these families can heal from their pain, and I hope that our children are safe every time they turn on the ignition.