“Green Light or Green Arrow? A Deadly Mistake”

Each day there are on average 114 fatal car accidents that occur due to many reckless drivers on the road. Since the introduction to technology, there has been a strong shift in people’s mindsets which enforces an addiction and over usage of iPhones and electronics that can easily cause distractions. According to NHTSA, over 660,000 drivers use their phones while driving and it is even more common among teenagers. This is why driver education is so important in which it can help people become safer and more knowledgeable drivers on the road, decreasing the amount of accidents. To reduce this number, it is important that drivers ed classrooms have a strict no phone usage in their facilities as it only takes a few seconds for people to get distracted and disengage from instruction. Additionally, by enforcing students to take a greater number of hands-on driving tests and increasing their mandatory driving hours in order to get their license, new drivers are better equipped to manage themselves and those around them on the road.

While I was at fault for a head on collision, I was not and have never used my phone while driving. Ironically, it was April 1st, and my mom and I were driving to the Lexus automobile shop. I was so excited to drive as I had just earned my permit a few months prior. As we were heading out, everything was going great until we hit a busy intersection. My mom told me to turn left and I began to turn my signal on, saw the green light, and then my mom began to scream. This moment is all a blur, but I begin to hear her yell “BRAKE!”. At that moment, I had no control over the car, and yelled “I can’t”. In an instant, the airbags turned on and saved our lives. The ringing in my ears began, a sound I will never forget. Fear instantly flooded my body. Everything went quiet and I began to panic. My mom called the 911 operator, but she was unable to hear us clearly. I panicked and looked back at the dust infused rear view mirror, all I saw was red, white, and blue lights. 911. Is this real? What just happened? The freeing feeling of being able to drive quickly became my worst nightmare.

I instantly panicked even more, the damaged and broken down car began to make me claustrophobic. I opened the car door and squeezed out, greeted by an older gentleman who asked me if I was okay. He noticed that my nose was bleeding and took me into his car to get cleaned up. There, I saw his cute puppy and it made me feel a little less panicked. He grabbed my phone and called my dad. Within 5 minutes, he was there and I was so relieved to see him. I quickly realized that my mom was still in the car, so my dad and I went back to see if she was okay. To my surprise, she was already in the ambulance and on the way to the hospital. Something was horribly wrong. My dad and I drove to the emergency room to meet her there, in which I found out that she had broken her hand. I was devastated. I sat on the hospital bed and cried and cried. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” was all my tear filled eyes and dry throat could say. My mom smiled, gave me a hug, and said “It’s okay, it’s not your fault, it was an accident. I am so glad you’re okay”. An accident that plays in my head over and over again, the sound of my mom’s voice screaming to brake. If only I wouldn’t have mistaken the green solid light for a green arrow. If only I would have paid more attention. None of this was supposed to happen, I will never drive again, I thought. I continued apologizing to my mom, with the memory of the crash playing in my head over and over again. I didn’t even know if the other driver was okay, but I did see his family enter the hospital room in fear, and that moment is something that will continue to haunt me. Knowing that my small mistake could have cost someone’s life.

A few months later, I went to court for the traffic ticket and everything turned out to be okay. I was okay, my mom was okay, and I never heard from the other driver, but I pray that he is okay too. It took me almost a year to be able to drive again, terrified about what would happen. Today, I can say that I am the most cautious and safe driver that I can be because I never want to put anyone else nor myself in danger, especially with everyone driving while using their technology. This is why it is significant that drivers ed programs enforce a no cellphone and technology policy while in class along with creating a stricter hands-on driving schedule with more required hours of practice on the roads. After all, there are 114 fatal car accidents everyday and over 660,000 drivers using their phones while driving.