I Am No Exception

When I was first learning how to drive, I picked up on everything very quickly. After two hour-long sessions with my parents in a parking lot, I was ready for the road. I had all 40 of my required hours completed after just a month of driving, and had gone on highways and backroads and everything in between. At that point it was a matter of waiting for the local driving school to tell me they had space for me in a class, and I passed the class with a 99% overall and had my drivers’ license two months after my sixteenth birthday.

Driving by myself for the first time was a weird experience. It was just me and the car going wherever I wanted us to go. There was no one there to gasp if I braked a touch too suddenly, or to complain if I took a turn a little sharper than I should have. My favorite thing about driving alone was definitely being able to blast my music as loud as I wanted.

Two weeks after I earned my license, I was headed in to watch one of my friends perform. On the way they were texting me about how great the show was going to be and everything they would be doing. I hadn’t done more than look at my phone to change songs at that point, but I thought that if I could handle doing that, then I would be able to have a conversation with my friend.

I wasn’t even done typing the second word when I looked up, saw the car heading off the road, and dropped my phone, gripped the steering wheel, and turned it as far to the left as I could. I heard the crunching of metal and the brakes screeched as the car skidded to a halt. I sat there for five minutes in disbelief, and immediately called my parents.

I ended up having to pay $4,000 in damages to the car. A mile marker was bent down to the ground, and we were able to push it upright again, so no other damage was done. I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of not wanting to drive again. So, I spent the next two weeks asking my parents for rides again.

Eventually, I came around and realized that I wasn’t a bad driver, but having my phone severely impacted my ability to keep myself safe. I started leaving my phone resting in the passenger seat, and if there is someone else in the car I tell them to hold on to it until we reach our destination. At this point it’s become a part of my routine each time I enter a vehicle, and it keeps me much safer.

I plan to continue doing this for the rest of my life because I never want to put myself or anyone I am responsible for transporting in that position. For the past seven months I have put the accident behind me and I’ve even noticed an improvement in my driving. I can stay more focused on the road and it makes me feel more comfortable as a driver to know that distractions are out of reach.

Of course, I’m not perfect, and like most people who have been raised in today’s society, I like spending time on my cell phone. They are an integral part of our society, and we base our social lives around them. Having that instant communication with others is so new to the majority of the population, but my generation has grown up with it and many of us can hardly imagine life without our phones.

Even though a cell phone is so important in my everyday life, this experience has helped me see that there are things that are better off without my phone. I’ve noticed myself spending less time on it overall and filling my time with the things I love to do, like dancing 15 hours a week, baking, and solving puzzles, and it’s made me happier as a result.

In drivers’ education I was told not to use my phone while driving, but until I experienced what can come from being irresponsible, I did anyway. I honestly think that I would still be trying to use my phone while driving to this day if I had continued to be lucky. So many people today think that the rules don’t apply to them, and I was one of those people. But now I know the truth: that I am no exception.