Name: Mariana Bravo
From: Miami, FL
Votes: 0
Mariana
Bravo
Coral
Reef Senior High School
Miami,
FL
That
Night
I
sit in the passenger’s seat, watching a road that seem
never-ending. Lampposts break the darkness of the night, filling the
side of the interstate with hiccups of light that remind me how far
from home we are. The rhythmic beats of the radio try their best to
end the monotony, but I know it’ll be hours before my mom and I are
graced with the presence of civilization. Suddenly, an unexpected
noise fills the air, the stillness of the night being ripped to
shreds by a furious growl. The roar of a motor. I realize it’s
coming up behind us, its volume growing louder by the second. Three.
Two. One. I see it pass, swerving from one lane to the next without
the restraint of caution. The sound’s owner: a black sports car–so
sleek it would blend into the night if it wasn’t for the power and
speed of its engine. We’re going 70 miles per hour, yet it passes
us by in a flash. I blink and he’s gone; the sound remains
hauntingly in my ears.
It’s
not until nearly 20 minutes later that we encounter the same black
car once again. This time however, it’s our car that’s passing by
its side. By the edge of the road, completely and utterly destroyed,
is the black powerhouse that had filled the night with movement a
while earlier. My mom and I watch in disbelief as we realize the
night has been filled with a new, even more terrifying sound: sirens.
Ambulances and police cars surround the rest of the lane; brave
officers and paramedics struggle to save the driver’s life, I
struggle to process what has happened.
Driving
recklessly caused that accident, as it has caused infinite others
before. The only difference was that, this time, I wasn’t just
hearing about it on the news. I saw with my own eyes the way in which
speeding and swerving had taken the life of a driver, had cost much
more than simply arriving late might have. Though no other cars were
affected by this specific accident, it’s impossible to ignore the
possibility that this one driver may have crashed into others,
causing an even larger loss. Thousands of people die each year due to
accidents that result from reckless driving–part of them have no
role in the reckless driving in the first place. I realized that
driving isn’t only about getting from one destination to another,
it’s about going about our lives in a way that ensures others can
do
the same.
Driving has more implications than it gives off: great responsibility
is placed in our hands whenever we grab the steering wheel, and it’s
only logical that we drive safely to avoid danger. We should not have
to lament accidents after they happen–we should prevent them from
happening in the first place.
That
night has taught me the importance of driving safely. Though its
silence was broken by speed, no more nights or lives should be stolen
this way.
