Name: Casandra Barua Reyes
From: El Paso, Texas
Votes: 0
The
car is a weapon. Those are the words that my mom always told me from
the first time I started driving. When driving, we don’t only
expose ourselves to dangerous situations, but we expose the ones
around us as well. With thousands of teens dying each year due to car
accidents, actions need to be taken.
The
process to get a driver’s licence or permit is to start by taking a
drivers ed course. I remember when I personally had to take
mine;the long hours of watching videos and taking quizzes over the
readings, all seemed to take forever, but just recently I understood
how important these classes can be when finally taking on the road.
Just a week ago I got in a car accident, my first car accident ever.
It was a very scary experience. I was driving home to go eat lunch,
taking the route I always take. When I suddenly got hit. All that I
can remember is opening my eyes and seeing all the smoke coming out
of the trunk of my car. I looked down and saw that my airbag had
exploded. Scared and full of adrenaline, I took off my seatbelt and
got out of the car to see if I was okay. I was scared and remember
thinking “did I pass the stop sign?” but looking back at the
street I was driving on, I realized that it was the other vehicle
that did not stop at the sign. The whole front of my car was wrecked.
There was liquid coming out, and all I could hear was my ears
ringing. It really looked like I was part of a movie that I did not
want to be a part of. After long hours of being outside talking to my
parents, police officers, firefighters, and the other driver, they
towed my car and the other one out of the scene and gave the other
driver a ticket for not stopping at the stop sign. Now I find myself
reflecting on what could’ve happened if I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt,
or if I would have been speeding, or if I was driving while using my
phone. All of these things. As obvious as they may sound, are things
that are reinforced while taking a drivers ed course. I
wouldn’t even want to think of what could’ve happened to me if I
haven’t taken drivers ed.
Remembering
the things learned during drivers ed, can save our lives and
the people around us. Understanding the rules of driving before
getting behind the wheel can change someone’s life completely. I
believe that if all drivers had to learn defensive driving we could
minimize the common errors that cause car accidents and deaths.
Another option I think would be good to reduce car accidents would be
to put the phone on do not disturb while driving . Thousands of
people die due to phone usage while driving. Putting the phone on Do
not disturb can ensure that no distractions will be caused by the
phone while driving. Something as simple as clicking on a button
before driving can save tons of lives including ours. I hope that
telling my story could influence others. Reminding myself to always
be cautious when driving and of the consequences that can come when
not driving responsibly, I can make myself a safer driver. In these
past days of family and friends asking me if I’m okay, and me
explaining what happened the day of the accident, makes me realize
how my story influences others to drive more responsibly.
In
a way, my car accident is also a reason why I decided to apply for
this scholarship. It opened my eyes to realizing how powerful a
vehicle can be and how important it is to use it the correct way.
