A Seat Away

Driver’s education plays an absolutely crucial part in making sure there are fewer deaths caused by driving. This part of the driving process is so important that it is mandatory, by law, in all 50 of the US states. A car is a powerful machine that can cause great damage. If you cause damage to the car, anything outside of your car, or –most importantly– those who are inside your car, you pose the risk of getting into serious legal trouble that can cost you greatly. Legal problems and financial problems aren’t the only things you could face consequences from, you also could be responsible for not only hurting someone but taking their life. I for one can attest to this because I was once in a close call.

It was after a rainy day, surrounded by fog, when my mom was driving me and our family dog–whom I decided to join in the back at the last minute. We had just gone to get fast food that I had already started eating. When she began to turn left, I saw a flash of a grey car, and then, before I could even react, it hit us. I felt a massive force unlike anything I had ever felt in my life. The force was violently tugging and pulling against my seatbelt. I couldn’t fathom the directions I was being pulled in as the car spun. As the car spun I finally reacted. I threw the food I had out of my hands, and used my arms to brace my neck for impact. It happened so fast that it’s difficult to recall. I remember seeing a glimpse of my dog being thrown to the back seat by the impact while the airbags from the side inflating faster than I could fathom. There was so much power in that impact I swear that during that short glimpse of time, my vision almost faded to black.

After the impact, I looked up to see my mom looking back to check on me. The air looked a bit smoky and there was a strong chemical smell. There was also food and glass scattered about. The airbags added an extra claustrophobic element. I didn’t know what to do, not knowing if the car was safe to stay in. Taking my chances, I got out and brought the dog with me. My mom thought it was a better idea to stay inside, but it was too late for me to change my mind anyway. As I exited I realized that our car had spun a complete 180°. The front passenger seat, where I would have been if not for my dog, was the main point of impact. From the other car I heard the screams of a boy, who seemed older than me at the time (around 16) saying, “God, what have I done!” and, “I’m sorry!”.

I couldn’t process it at all. In fact, I was starting small talk with the bystanders and it took them a couple minutes to realize that I was in the very wreck they were looking at. When they did realize they asked me a question that made me realize my mother was still in the car. I couldn’t believe that as I stood there in a daze, I hadn’t taken this into account. As I cautiously approached the driver’s side I began to think of the worst scenario, “What if my mother was in critical condition and I had left her there to die?”. She looked quite shaken up, as she thought she had killed someone after hearing the blood curdling screams of the teen who had broken his leg. She refused to exit until an ambulance offered to have us wait inside while our father was on the way to pick us up.

Luckily there were no fatalities. The worst that had happened to us was aches, bruises, and some mental turmoil while one of the teens in the other car sustained a broken leg. I know it could’ve gone much worse. The teen driver had been going 60 mph and a 30 mph speed zone with no seatbelt on. My mother had also not checked thoroughly enough to see the car blending in with the gray road and sky. If the teen was wearing a seatbelt and drove at the appropriate speed, he could’ve avoided breaking his leg. And if my mother had seen them coming earlier, she could have halted to a stop and they would’ve whizzed by.

Both of these measures are quite simple but very important. Most crucial things you need to be a safe driver are simple things like what I mentioned. Things like buckling your seatbelt and paying attention to your surroundings. In my opinion, driving can be very similar to extreme sports. The risks that you take for both activities can be very serious but as long as you make sure you are in a mentally stable state, follow the rules, and watch out for others, you’re practically good to go. When it comes to making sure you and others are also safe on the road, being a good driver yourself is one of the most impactful things you can do. All of this goes back to the point of taking Driver’s ED. There is a range of minor to major mistakes you can make while driving. As you learn to drive it’s likely you bump into a few, but in Driver’s ED they teach you about how you can avoid making certain mistakes and how to get out of sticky situations if you manage to get yourself into one; this way the probability of danger and fatality lessens significantly.