Drivers ED

I was in a car accident on January 6^th this year. I was driving toward my friend’s house. I had my eyes on the road, two hands on the wheel, and was going the speed limit. It should’ve been a normal drive. I had been on that route plenty of times beforehand, I didn’t have anything to worry about. I was passing an intersection where I had the right of way, and the other side had a stop sign. I was laughing at a joke my friend said when-

“HOLD ON!”

BAM

I had turned as quickly as I could, but the truck was turning left. It had t-boned my much smaller car on the passenger side door. I coughed as the smoke from the air bags started to clear. I waved my hand to see and look around and picked up my friend’s phone as it flew out their hand. “Are you okay?” I asked as I handed them their phone and opened my door.

“Yeah, I’m alive.” They responded as I got out of the car. I looked around and then saw the black truck that was in the side of my car. I got my bearings, then called 911.

“Hello, 911, what’s your emergency?” I tried to describe that I had just gotten into a wreck and tried to figure out where I was to tell them while also trying to calm down my friend as they were freaking out. After the call I got them out of the car through the driver’s side and gave them their backpack and told them to get their parents. We weren’t that far from their house, so it wouldn’t be too long before they arrived. After that, I called my parents then sat in the car and cried. I cried so badly my shoulders shook.

I heard a tap at my window and opened the door to see one of the guys from the truck. He pulls out his phone and Google Translates “Sorry, didn’t see you.” He didn’t see me. That made no sense. He goes on to tell me that he will get it figured out and to not worry, and thankfully that’s when the police show up. They get the guy to go back to his car and ask me for my license.

I handed it to them and went over to the sidewalk and a few minutes after my friend’s dad came over and stayed with me while we waited for my parents. The police asked him a couple questions and, when they arrived, my dad a couple questions. Afterwards we had to wait for a translator to come down so they could understand the guy who hit me as he only spoke Spanish.

A couple of kids drove past a few times screaming, “You can’t park there!” It hurt so much worse than it should’ve hurt. They were just being idiots thinking that it was funny. But, to me? It wrecked my soul. I was distraught. I was in a haze going through the motions. I had just been in an accident. My chest was hurting and so was my wrist and I was crying really badly. How could they say that? It was awful.

When the translator came, the guy admitted to running the stop sign that was on his side of the road. He also admitted to not having a driver’s license, insurance, or it being his truck. Both my dad and I were beyond upset. My dad because all that would’ve gotten him was a slap on the wrist and me because the guy didn’t even have his headlights on. He hit me with a truck that he didn’t own, with four other people in the car, no license, and no insurance. And it could’ve all been avoided if he had the headlights on.

My car was gone. I drove a 2018, Nissan Kicks at the time. That car was small. My car got totaled. The whole passenger side caved in. I loved that car. I hadn’t even had it for a year, and it was gone.

The police sirens flashed red and blue across my face. This can’t be real. This can’t be real. It felt like I was in a movie. I watched them tow my car away. This can’t be happening.

I stood frozen for a second as I saw my parents talk to my friend’s dad to make sure that he was okay. We grabbed my stuff and put it in the back of my dad’s car to drive home. I didn’t say a word the entire way home. That night, my friend sent me a text saying that playing Tetris would help me overcome the traumatic event better. I played one game, got a headache, then fell asleep.

People need to understand the seriousness of car accidents. If I had been going just a tiny bit faster or had turned right instead of left, which would’ve resulted in me hitting a light post, I could’ve died. I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this essay. My family would be mourning the loss of me all because of a person not being a safe driver.

I know that I can be an unsafe driver sometimes. I can get tunnel vision when I drive very familiar routes, like when I drive to school, home, or work. But I understand that it happens to me and when that happens, I make sure I snap back to focus and keep my attention on the road and other cars. I don’t want to get into another car accident if I can help it.

Other people need to be educated on driver safety because the number of deaths that happen from car accidents could be avoided. If people pay attention and watch how others are driving, then a lot of accidents won’t happen. And if you drive sober and don’t take mind alternating medicine right before driving, you would be awake enough to pay attention. Steps that we can take to help be safer drivers is telling the stories of what happens when others are not safe drivers. When unsafe drivers know what could happen to them if they keep up the habit, they’ll try to be more safe so it doesn’t happen to them.