My Unfornate Experience

I’m a 54-year-old mother of one adult female child. I have always driven safely for 36 years. Unfortunately, I was in a car accident several years ago. My driver’s side tire was t-boned, causing me to fly up in the air and my car landed on the driver’s side causing my head to shatter the driver’s window, which was the only window broken. The attending physician was surprised, I didn’t have any broken bones. I walked away with just bruises and no broken bones. The other driver, an 18-year-old, had no broken bones. The whole front end of his car was damaged, with no possibility of repair.

As an instructional aide I work with high school students and I try to remind them of the safety concerns and cell phones which do not collate when driving a car. Something can happen when you least expect it. Distractions should be minimal, including loud music and friends who will try to distract you and think it is funny. But, who will be paying for the repairs, your parents? The car insurance will go up due to the accident. When this could have been avoided, in the first place.

Sometimes I think driver education should be in high schools, but then I think parents should continue to pay for driver education if they want their children to drive. Put the responsibility on the parents and not the schools. They will be on their phones in class, watching TikTok. I don’t they will take traffic laws seriously.

When my daughter received her learner’s permit her friends would ask for a ride home. She would refuse because she only had a learners permit. Legally she needed someone in the car with a driver’s license to be in the car. My daughter dislikes the taste of alcohol, so in that aspect, her dad and I were not worried about her drinking and driving. My daugher learned from my experience as that devastation to our family impact us emotionally and physically every single day.

Our daughter is 22-year-old and lives in San Diego. She works in a male-dominated workforce with a few females. When she is invited to go out for drinks she is the designated driver. Her co-workers respect her choice to not drink. She never thought of the need to wake up the next day with a hang-over and waste a whole day trying to recuperate.

My home town in California I used to think it was a quiet place I grew up in. Reality hit me when I was in this terrible accident. I realized I was no longer living in a small and safe place. The majority of residents were retired. It was a place where drivers were courteous to give another car the right of way. Also, where other drivers took the time to look at the other driver and let them know with a hand motion to go ahead and proceed. Giving them the right of way. Now drivers make incomplete stops and are avoiding to look at other drivers As if they were entitled to have to right of way, and not wave to say thank you. I still try to continue this courteous to other drivers, in hopes that others will learn by seeing this kind gesture.

It only takes one person to instill this kind gesture in other drivers and multiple drivers to do the same thing.

The stop light has been a problem where drivers are speeding up at red lights and are not slowing down as they approach the traffic lights. I slow down and cautiously step on the brakes as I approach the traffic lights. I hope that other drivers see me practicing safe driving and that they will do the same. Young drivers, as they approach the legal age to drive, will hopefully practice and recall safe driving habits. Traffic laws are designed to keep us safe and alive.

I believe my extensive experience and commitment to safe driving can significantly influence the young drivers I interact with daily. I consider myself a safe driver because I practice several key habits: I maintain a safe following distance, allow ample space for other cars to merge into my lane, and always make complete stops at stop signs. I prioritize my car’s maintenance by taking it to the mechanic whenever it makes unusual noises. I ensure timely replacement of tires, keep up with car insurance and registration, and, most importantly, check that my brakes are in good condition. By modeling these behaviors, I hope to instill the importance of safe driving in young drivers.