The Day My Life Changed

How My Life Changed

On November 28, 2023, the Driving Test Examiner told me the 3 words that would

help me grow in ways I didn’t initially expect, “You passed.” I’d been looking forward to that day for months ever since I’d started my online Driver’s Education course. I knew many people my age who were already driving alone. I was so excited to be able to do the same and have the freedom to drive wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I started driving my family everywhere in my Mom’s car when I got my license. It wasn’t until very recently that I got my first car. I couldn’t be more excited. This was it, this was finally the day when I would get that freedom. But when I started talking to my parents, I realized that wasn’t the day yet. I wouldn’t be allowed to drive alone for about two weeks, and even then I was only allowed to go to school and back. I was so disheartened by it and genuinely didn’t understand why I had to wait. I was so impatient and felt that I had already waited long enough since November. It wasn’t until those two weeks had passed that I realized why. I woke up that morning nervous to drive without my Mom there, because I was now solely responsible for not only my life, but also my only little sister’s life. One of my greatest fears is that someday I will be driving her somewhere and anyone’s mistake could gravely injure her, or take her from my family and I. Now more than ever I think back to the car accident that terrified me the most: when my two closest cousins crashed on the freeway. My older cousin Matthew was driving his sister Savannah to a college they both attended one morning. On their way there, they got into an accident that resulted in Matthew’s car being totaled. I remember getting the text from Savannah when I was at school, and it completely took me by surprise. Never before had I ever even thought to worry about my family, or people close to me getting into car crashes. It was always just something deep in the back of my mind. I remember being so incredibly grateful that they both had extremely minor injuries and were both okay. This happened only a couple months before I passed my driver’s test and received my license. Before this accident, I had only been in a few car crashes with my Mom that merely resulted in a few scratches or small dents. This was the first time I experienced someone close to me being in a dangerous situation like this, especially two of the people I love most. The second accident that had an indescribable impact on not just the people close to me, but the community I lived in, was one that occurred on a street corner right next to the high school I attend. Two parents were coming back from the market and driving home to their two daughters, who I attended middle school with. As they were crossing an intersection, they were hit by someone speeding, causing an accident that killed both of the parents, and making the two daughters orphans. When I was younger, I would sometimes worry about my parents dying in a car accident when they were running late coming home, but gratefully I never had to experience this. When I heard about this tragedy, I couldn’t imagine how the daughters were feeling. I couldn’t imagine how incredibly hard it is to lose both parents in one day, especially to someone’s mindless actions. I find myself now valuing everything I learned in my Driver’s Education course. Knowing that information can greatly impact how someone drives, and ensures that they are driving safer, which directly causes less deaths due to car accidents. I make sure I am always vigilant of other drivers and my surroundings so I am not making any mindless decisions. Since I have been able to drive alone, I have found myself with a newfound responsibility and weight on my shoulders. However, it is not one that I would ever want lifted from my shoulders. I feel the weight of the notion that while I am driving I can be the reason people’s lives are gravely affected. As I hold this with me, I am constantly reminded to always make right decisions and remember everything I have learned through my Driver’s Education course, because some decisions can be the difference between life and death. To me, the importance of driving safety rules is for the benefit of everyone and to ensure that they are able to go home to their loved ones safely. I always try to encourage my friends, whether they have their license or not, to always remember to drive safely because I never want to imagine a day where I hear that I will never see them again because of an accident they got in. Since the day I have been able to drive by myself, I have grown in countless ways, and am still continuing to do so with each time I drive.