Name: Christopher Lane Jester
From: Fort Smith, AR
Votes: 0
Christopher
Jester
29 November 2019
Driver
Safety
I
can remember the first time that I was ever behind the wheel of a
car. It was before I could even reach down to touch the pedal. I was
about 8 or 9 or so, and I was at my uncle’s house back when he
lived in Pocola. Him and my mom wanted some food from a nearby Sonic.
Half-joking, I asked if I could take us there; surprisingly, they
both decided to let me do so. So, there I was, in my uncle’s lap,
steering the turns about less than a mile from his place to the
restaurant. After we got our order, I did the same thing on the way
back home. From then onward, I always looked forward to getting my
own car and reliving that moment. Several years later, I achieved my
dream and got a car that I could call my own. As any adolescent that
just garnered his or her license would be, I was rather enthusiastic
to independently travel on my own to anywhere that I wanted to. Even
if it were to pick up something from the store for my mom, I enjoyed
every single minute of it. Unfortunately, not long after, I
experienced my first ever car accident. I am ashamed to admit that it
was my own fault due to my negligence brought on by looking at the
map on my phone rather than paying attention to the car in front of
me. Luckily, no one was injured, but my car had to be totaled due to
the damages. I felt a tremendous guilt overcome me for weeks on end
because of my carelessness. Everyone involved was incredibly
sympathetic and compassionate, albeit likely suffered by the
consequences of my actions. Not long after, I was obligated to take a
driver’s safety course. We went over various procedures to retain a
greater comprehension on what it means to be a safe driver. Of
course, constantly checking to see if everything in your car is in
good shape is vital. Along with this comes the usage of the
seatbelts, turning on one’s headlights when night falls, checking
the oil, and numerous other tasks. In doing so, taking these measures
could mean an accident won’t lead to the tragic ending of one’s
life. All that being said, by the grace of God, I was blessed with a
used car over half a year later. You know, sometimes in life, the
greatest lessons one learns is brought on by mistakes, failures, and
shortcomings. Aside from the obvious lesson of avoid distractions
while driving, I learned that, like a ripple in a pond, one small
seemingly harmless choice can produce monstrous results. What I wish
for to those this paper reaches is just one thing: be careful what
you do when you drive, because if you’re not, you can potentially
wreck more than just simply someone’s car.
