Nightmare on Kidder Street

“BEEP!” That was all I heard the night I got into a car accident. I remember looking up and seeing smoke everywhere in the car, wondering what had just happened. My music was blasting, cars were honking, and all I could see in front of me was my steering wheel airbag. I got out of my vehicle and looked behind me where I saw the car that hit me. The whole front end of their car was ruined, and all of the other cars in the intersection were just sitting still. It felt like they were looking at me with disappointment. When I finally looked back to see my car damage, all I saw was my car on the median, windshield cracked, tire flattened, and my passenger side door dented inward, preventing it from opening all the way.

I don’t know why my first instinct wasn’t to call my parents. It was probably the shock and the disbelief that this was happening. It wasn’t until I eventually got on the phone with my parents that I started crying. I still didn’t know what exactly had happened, or how I ended up on the median. I was a scared 16-year-old girl who had just gotten her license 3 months prior. I barely even knew the dangers of driving at the time. Between my father, teachers, and other family members I had heard the driving safe talk about a million times and I always listened, but never took it seriously. I thought that driving was easy, and at that age, I thought I knew everything about it. Well, I didn’t, because that was the first time I ever even considered thinking about what my dad had told me, and I knew I would be in deep trouble once they had gotten there.

The police had arrived about 20 minutes after the accident had happened. He talked to the other girl first since she was closer to their cars than I was. I will never know what she said, but considering everything that was going on, I’m sure she was talking about how much of an idiot I was. When they eventually came over to me, I was a mess, trying to find the words to say when they asked me questions. Most of the responses that came out of my mouth were, “I don’t know,” because I didn’t know anything. The only question I understood was, “Are you able to get your driver’s license and registration?” I got into my driver’s side door pulled out my license and registration and handed it to the officer. Since my car was ruined and he didn’t want me to sit on the median of the intersection, he offered to have me sit in his car.

All I kept thinking about while sitting in the police car was how mad my parents would be. The only thing I was worried about or cared about at that moment was my car. My parents arrived and my mom instantly ran up to me and hugged me, while my dad and brother stood behind her. She went over to talk to the cops while my dad hugged me. I don’t know what my mom was asking the cops, but I’m sure it was along the lines of, “What did she do?” A couple of minutes later, the cop gave me all of my personal information back and took me to my car to get the necessities I needed. After that, I got into my dad’s truck, and we drove back home.

It was my fault. I ran a red light. I was being so careless at the wheel that I had caused an accident so bad where both cars were totaled. My memory of what I was doing before I got into the accident is so blurry, so I tell people the only thing that I remember doing is looking at my car screen to follow my GPS. I can guarantee you that I knew what I was doing moments before the other car and I collided. I was on my phone. I will never admit to anyone that that’s what I was doing. Well, I guess I am right now, but never to anyone’s face. I know the look of disappointment and disgust I would get from all of my family members if I were to tell them. I’m too ashamed to admit that I got into an accident all because I was on my phone.

It’s been a little over a year now since I got into that accident. I can say that I have been way more aware and careful ever since it happened. I also have never picked up my cell phone while driving again. I drive slower on highways, take slower turns, and make sure I know where I’m going with my GPS. The one main lesson I learned from that day is to never text and drive. Everyone has heard that for years, but nobody listens to it until it’s you behind the wheel. So, if there is one thing you can take away from my experience, it’s to listen to your peers when they tell you not to text and drive. I may have made it out of that accident with minor injuries, but every car accident is different. The next time you decide to go on your phone while driving, don’t just think about the injuries that could happen to yourself, think about what injuries you will cause other people to have. It isn’t just your life that you have control over when driving, it’s other people’s lives that you have in your hands as soon as you pick up the phone.