{"id":1611,"date":"2023-01-10T16:59:56","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T16:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalpassengersafety.org\/?p=1611"},"modified":"2023-01-10T22:28:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T22:28:01","slug":"do-you-have-the-courage-to-intervene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalpassengersafety.org\/index.php\/2023\/01\/10\/do-you-have-the-courage-to-intervene\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you Have the Courage to Intervene?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How many times have you been a passenger in a vehicle where the driver was speeding, or speaking on their phone or Bluetooth, or had had a couple of drinks before getting behind the wheel? You likely bit your tongue, rationalizing that you didn\u2019t want to meddle or sound like a \u201cbackseat driver\u201d by telling them you felt uncomfortable with their driving choices. To speak up might feel awkward, right? Or perhaps you want to speak up, but you don\u2019t know what to say without ruining the relationship. <\/em>I have often said that silence is the biggest enabler of all. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

19-year-old Shanna didn\u2019t speak up when her boyfriend, who was driving, fell asleep while coming down from MDMA, a mind-altering synthetic drug, and ran head-on into a guard rail. Her boyfriend was barely injured, but after doctors and nurses spent several hours trying to stabilize her, they discovered she had a traumatic brain injury and needed a craniotomy. She spent almost 2 weeks on a ventilator in a medically induced coma, and lives with the consequences of her boyfriend\u2019s decision (and her hesitation to speak up) to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps if she had convinced her boyfriend to find alternative transportation, or refused to ride with him, she would have been spared these injuries and her family this tragic and traumatic event. If you are a passenger who accepts your driver\u2019s dangerous driving choice without speaking up, this could happen to you. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. roadway deaths are rising again at an alarming rate. People are still driving recklessly. Street signs and PSAs telling people to drive safely aren\u2019t enough. We, the public: friends, family, and acquaintances, need to do more. Passengers need to play a more active role in their own safety and that of others. Passengers need to be empowered to speak up and have the Courage to Intervene<\/strong> when their lives are threatened by an unsafe driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why We Save Lives<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and the National Road Safety Foundation<\/strong><\/a> launched The National Passenger Safety Campaign<\/a>, and National Passenger Safety Week from January 22 – 28. Our goal is to promote safe driving practices and prevent unsafe ones when we see them by empowering passengers to \u201cSPEAK UP\u201d when their lives are in danger because of a reckless driver\u2019s behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics show that in 2019:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n