May the knowledge be with you

May
the knowledge be with you

The small country
road was nothing similar to the city streets, they looked safe
for me. It was my first time driving at night when I hit a horse, an
unforgettable experience.

I had just received
my permit, and my parents decided to enroll me in a driving school. I
felt nervous, yet anxious. It was my first ever class, there were two
other students and the instructor. I buckled up, and started the
engine. My instructor led me outside of the city, when I came across
a countryside neighborhood. The darkness of the country roads invited
me to be alert; it felt as though I was driving down a dark tunnel
with no means of escape. An experienced driver would activate their
bright lights, but there were other cars coming in the opposite side,
and my lack of experience switching lights made me think it was
normal not to use the bright lights, after all, I was still able to
see the road. What a mistake! Everything looked normal:  my
instructor directing me to trust myself, use brakes, stay on the way,
the students making silly jokes, until I saw something white on the
road, as I was getting closer to the object, there was another car on
the opposite side that had completely stopped with its bright lights
on. I suddenly noticed that the white object was a horse! I panicked,
everyone inside the car panicked!
I knew
I had
to make
a quick decision: try to avoid impacting the moving horse, or use the
brakes. I felt that using the brakes wouldn’t help me at all. I
desperately honked my horn, and by instinct hit the brakes, but it
was inevitable… I hit a side of the horse with my rear mirror. The
driver from the opposite side of the road came to our car. He told us
that he had hit the horse first, but that didn’t make me feel any
better.
I knew I hit him too.

For days I grieved at
what I had done, but on the positive note, the epiphany awoke a sense
of guidance in me as well. From that day on, I knew I needed to
inform people of my mistakes so that they don’t occur to anyone
else. For one I could’ve driven slower, staying below the speed
limit does no harm, even if you have passengers on board, you must
feel secure while driving. Learning about your own vehicle may also
reduce your chances of harm, take my accident for example, because I
didn’t know how to turn the bright lights on, I couldn’t see what
was ahead. Thus I had a slower reaction time and collided with the
horse. I could’ve drastically reduced my chances of hitting the
horse if I had read the car manual or asked my instructor where each
switch was located. I believe that’s the first step any driver
operating a vehicle unknown to them should do. By driving at a steady
speed limit and educating ourselves on our own vehicle we can reduce
putting others at risk on the road.