A Series of an Unfortunate Event: Driving Edition

Maybe it’s fate or maybe not, but driving is something every teenager is eager to learn. Some seemingly believe that knowing drive, park, neutral, accelerator, and break, indicates their ability to drive. That is not at all completely true. In my life, I have had two incidents that changed my perspective on driving. It optimized this unbeatable fear that continued to follow me as I am in this passage of life to become a driver.

This experience was not too long ago, to be exact this accident occurred on September 2, 2023. On a Saturday like no other, I was at home taking in the weekend given that school had just started a couple of weeks before. It was around 5:45 pm when I got a call from my older cousin who had just turned 18 years old and had gotten his license. Excited about this accomplishment he wanted to celebrate by taking me, my cousin, and another close friend to the movie theater. I asked my parents for permission, they were not all supportive of the idea but decided to say yes and let me go. He picked me up, and we went to pick up our other friend. The turn he made as we were heading to our destination was the first red flag as some may say that I had, but overall we were doing fine. We decided to stop to get In-n-Out, I only simply got fries since I had just eaten. That was probably the best decision I could have made, I would have thrown up the $4.00 burger at the crash if I had eaten one. We finished eating and we were on our way, making a couple of wrong turns, was another thing that I was concerned about, seeing his confusion when routing the GPS and not knowing whether a right turn was allowed, made me feel nauseous with fear, but I was not trying to let that negativity get to me. We had made it to a point where we were about to enter the movie theater, we just needed to get a light out of the way and make a left turn. Well, it did not go as smoothly as that. Mind you, I had gotten my permit about 3 weeks ago, and on the morning of this accident, my father had taken me practicing on this exact road, and warned me to try at all costs and avoid making a left turn here since I had minimal experience. There was a sign above that said “Yield on Green”, right as I was about to open my mouth to tell my cousin you have to wait and let traffic go, everything went black.

We had been T-boned by oncoming traffic. Realizing what just happened the first thing that came to mind was to call my father. Once he answered, I told him “We just crashed”, the first thing he responded was if everyone was okay, and I told him yes. Finally composing ourselves we got out of the car and were moved to the side of the road. An old man, with a jean jacket and a tiger sewn onto the back of it was kind enough to guide us throughout the process. Because my other cousin had taken most of the damage as her side of the door was destroyed and the window had burst which caused the glass to lay all over her, the old man told us to dust some of the glass off to avoid her being stabbed by any small glass pieces. He let us know that the ambulance was called because a supposed child from the other vehicle was bleeding. The thought that we were responsible for a child’s injury consumed me. We saw the little ones being taken to the side of the road where we were and because the parents of the other vehicle ignored us when we asked them whether they were okay, obviously understandable as we had put their life and their child’s life in danger, I proceeded to from a distant ask the children if they were okay, giving that they said a child was bleeding. They responded in a frightened tone “Yes”. This moment was when I broke down, knowing that because we lacked the understanding of vital road rules, we could have been responsible for the death of a family. Thankfully, no one was bleeding, we were all just in shock from the wreck. I hope that this incident is enough to teach individuals the importance of driving safely and paying attention to the driver’s ed course. To memorize and learn your signs as they are the main importance when driving. To understand that you are not only putting your life on the line but the lives of those around you as well.

Many steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving, one of many can be being conscious of the resources we have around us that allow us to learn the ideal rules and laws that are required when driving. Our technology is always evolving and our generation relies heavily on it. We have updated our navigation system from maps to GPS. Although these devices can be helpful, they can also be a danger on the road. Emphasizing this to many new drivers, especially teens as an addition to the course allowing knowledge to grow on the appropriate time and how to safely rely on a GPS when needed, will reduce distractions in hopes of reducing the number of deaths.

When we begin to drive we are overcome with an entirety of emotions, specifically the ones that tend to rise and consume our mind are Anger, Sadness, and anxiety. When we are seated on the driver’s side, our parents on the passenger’s side, we want to impress our parents. Though the nerves tend to take over at times, as we try to be this perfect reflection of our parents while driving. We are taken aback by our parent’s criticism, their constant yelling as their impatience tends to consume them. Having a driving instructor can be a significant way to which the number of deaths while driving can be reduced. Confidently knowing that we have someone at our side who knows the laws of the road, and understands that we are accomplishing something difficult, yet beneficial. We can surround them with questions that we may have without having to worry about annoying them, unlike when we are with our parents. Driving lessons through Driver’s Ed but also seeing driving instructors should be something that new drivers are willing to consider in order to travel and safely get to their destination.

According to studies, “The situation is worse in California. On a national scale, our state has the second most crashes involving young drivers”, to be exact 3,617 fatal accidents were of individuals between the ages of 15 to 20. Having your hands on a steering wheel requires maturity, growth, and caution. The Driver Ed course allows us to view the consequences of our decisions when we choose to drive. There is a heavy emphasis on the dangers alcohol influence has on young adolescents. The idea to show off to your friends is simply for stepping foot on the accelerator. Throughout the course, we learn where the limits are as new drivers, the curfews that we should take, the amount of passengers that we are allowed to drive, and having a license that allows us to understand that whatever happens is in our hands, it is our responsibility. From knowing nothing, bits and pieces, the Driver Ed course allows us to deepen our knowledge of the skills that are needed to be a responsible and aware driver.

The accident that I had has allowed me to see that driving is not a game, as repeatedly mentioned in the Driver’s Ed course, Driving is a privilege that is given to people. As drivers, we must be responsible, and take into account once again that knowing how to apply the accelerator and being able to break does not indicate that we know how to drive. I will not place myself in a position behind the wheel until I am sure and confident that I can be, this is the most important step as a driver for myself. I will be aware of having the necessary experience, the strength to control my emotions, and the tactics needed to be a good driving influence for others and not a danger. As a human, as a sister and daughter, I will take limits as a driver, as my biggest fear is being reported as one more of 3,617 teenagers who unfortunately passed away due to the lack of understanding of the importance of Driver’s Ed and driving safely.