Accidents Happen

            Every day different people see or hear about car accidents and probably think “Wow, I am glad that was not me.” When I think to myself, I think of the car accident that I was in and why I am not completely unhappy that it had happened. The crash was one of the strongest incidents of my life. It was scary and disappointing and sparked a lot of negative feelings; however, the outcome contained a lot of positive impacts as well. Though it could have been done an easier way, I have gained insight from what I had encountered. It was something to have happened at a younger age in life and I learned a lot from it. Although it was a traumatic and emotional experience, the car accident had a significant impact on my life for a variety of reasons.

            Because of the accident, I am now a more cautious driver. Even though I was not the person driving, I think of it as a life lesson for myself and everyone else that was in the car. It took just three seconds for that accident to happen. Within those seconds, the driver had looked down at her GPS to see where we were going. In those seconds she had flown past a stop sign, and in those seconds, we were in a terrible crash. I should not have had to worry about anything badly happening. But my whole mindset got redirected to thinking you SHOULD always worry about something badly happening when on the road and try to prevent it. Always pay attention and think ahead. Think about the what ifs.

It was a typical car ride with my three best friends. That is why it is considered an accident, because you look away for just a tiny period of time and something terrible happens. Because I do not want to risk another accident, I do not go on my phone or mess around when I have people in my car. I no longer go over the speed limit because it is clearly a limit for a reason. These steps can all be taken to reduce the number of deaths each year. I believe that when teenagers first get their license, they usually think of it as all fun and games until something actually happens. This made me realize that it is a form of transportation, and not a way to mess around with my friends. After the accident, I would still get nervous being in the car, but I became aware of how serious having my license was after being in the accident. This is what driver’s education tries to teach us! The importance of driver’s ed. can truly reduce the number of deaths due to driving. They say having your license is a privilege and clearly we see why every day.

            I have also noticed how hard it can be to put others before yourself in a tough situation; however, it can strengthen relationships. One of my best friends, the driver, would not talk to me or our other friends for days, almost a couple of weeks, after the crash. She thought that we hated her and blamed her for what had happened; which, yes it was her fault because she had ran the stop sign, but no I could never hate her. In order to prevent her from pushing us away completely, I sat her down one day and talked to her. It was hard to talk about it for the first time since the accident and there was a lot of emotions running through each of our minds. I reassured her that it could have happened with any one of us driving. We were just happy that we were alive. Although I had my own emotions about the crash and I was still learning how to cope, I stopped thinking about myself and put her first; even during the accident when I was in pain, I ignored it when the paramedics came to me and I told them to help my friends first. Ever since I talked to her, she finally let us in and our relationships were much stronger. Not just because of that but also because of the accident. We realized how quick we could have lost one another, and just having each other made it much easier to cope with the situation. Some people might have cut the driver off and felt angry toward that person; but for me, I had realized that the collision had brought us much closer.

            It might sound cliché, but anything can happen at any time, especially when you least expect it. Even though it was scary, I value my life much more and I was shown just how quick something could happen. Yes, everything would be way different if someone were to have lost a life, but we are just grateful that that was not the case. Ever since the accident, my life changed, and I treat people differently. For example, I am always kind and try my best to not talk to people in a bad tone because you never know what might happen to that person. I do not waste my time holding grudges or having attitudes, like with my parents, because if something were to happen to them and the last thing I said was not very nice, I would feel terrible. I also value and take advantage of the time that I do have in this world. Life is already short as it is, and you never know if something will happen to you. Even the sheriff told us that it was amazing that none of us were in worse condition. I think of the accident as a miracle, and it has really shown me a different perspective in life. But people should not have to go through such a traumatic incident to realize how important driver’s education is in order to prevent death, injury, and trauma.

            My biggest fear in life had always been car accidents. When I would watch them in movies or on television shows, heard about them from others, or imagined them, the feelings I would get were extremely uncomfortable. Even before the accident, I had dreams of them happening to me and in the dreams when the car would crash, my body would immediately go numb, but I thought it was just the dream. Those dreams and the numbness became a reality when the other car hit ours perpendicularly causing us to roll over several times. The adrenaline took over my body making me actually feel as if I were numb and that the car would never stop rolling. This was significant because I learned that events that I thought would never happen to me could. Therefore, I had to learn how to cope with those types of situations. Because of the accident, I had also learned how to think quickly in difficult situations. In my dreams, I would be terrified that I would have to call 911 and tell them my emergency but that was just what I had to do in real life. I realized that I could not just sit there and understand what was happening; I actually had to do something about it. As soon as the car stopped rolling, I found my friends phone and immediately dialed the police department. My head was dizzy, but I tried my best to tell them what had happened because some of us were hurt. From my horrific abdominal pain to seeing one of my best friends laying on the concrete that was covered with shattered glass, I did not know what to think. It was very difficult to comprehend the visuals I had seen: both cars were totaled; there were parts of the cars and glass scattered in the intersection; my friends were sobbing in shock around me; the paramedics were sprinting over to us asking us all where we were hurting. It was all very difficult to understand in the moment. I was thinking to myself, “What had just happened?” I tried calming myself down and it eventually began to work. While I was being rushed to the hospital, I thought to myself that the situation could have been much worse. I still struggled to accept the trauma that we had encountered but that caused me to learn how to cope with tough situations.

            Although the accident did not cause anyone to lose a life, I believe that it had a major impact on my life, especially at sixteen years of age. The incident was a loud wake-up call, and I am glad that the circumstances were what they were. The car crash had taught me how serious driving is and how to put others before myself. It caused me to value my life more and not to waste it. I was shown how my biggest fears can come a reality and I need to learn how to deal with them. My relationships with my best friends in the accident had grown stronger; I am much more cautious while driving; and it helped me to understand how to act in an exceedingly difficult situation. Sometimes I wish that I had not had to go through such a traumatic experience, but I am glad that I did because it had impacted my life in ways that other situations could not have. I hope everyone takes into consideration that driving irresponsibly will eventually cause an accident no matter how many times you have gotten away with it. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN EVEN WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT. Accidents happen when they do not have to. Please take driving seriously.