In the Driver’s Seat During My Wreck

Joseph Garcia

DmvEdu.org Essay

30 November 2020

In the Driver’s Seat During My Wreck

Windows down, music blasting, sun shining through the sunroof. It was the perfect day to drive to a friend’s graduation party.  I was thinking of the fun that was awaiting me as I traveled the country road.  I looked down at my phone to read the text message that had the directions to the house. As I started to type the words, “Almost there” to my friend, I felt my truck veer to the left. I scrambled to control the vehicle. I hit the brakes, but that caused my truck to skid uncontrollably. I felt my truck go into a spin and was completely unable to do anything but wait for the impact. I finally stopped when the side of my truck slammed into the guardrail. 

I sat there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do or who to call. Thankfully, I was wearing a seatbelt, so I knew I wasn’t hurt too seriously.  Yet, I was starting to feel pain in my shoulder where I’d apparently slammed into the side of my door during the impact. I was afraid to move, afraid to face the reality of what I’d done. 

After a few minutes, my heartbeat finally started to slow down, and I could think clearer. I looked around and was relieved to see that I was the only vehicle on the road. It would have been devastating for my mistake to cause injury to someone else.  I looked at the smashed and dented side of my truck and took a few seconds to be grateful that the situation wasn’t more serious. 

Looking back, I think about those words that I sent in the text that caused the accident, “Almost there.” What if those were the last words of my life?  Would those two words be worth it? It would have been simple for me to look at the directions before I got in my truck.  I could have easily sent a text message that said I’d be fifteen minutes late and then start driving.   These two words resulted in thousands of dollars of damage to my truck; thankfully, those words did not result in funeral expenses for myself, or worse, for someone else.

The reality is that teenagers will always have their phones while they’re driving. Because of my accident, every time I’m tempted to check my phone while I’m driving, I can think of how I felt during those seconds that my car was spinning out of control. Yet, not everyone has a scary memory like that to motivate them to make the right choice. One way to prevent accidents like mine from happening is to utilize text to speech apps for phones and car stereos. These apps will automatically read the text aloud to drivers, and drivers can say their responses aloud to reply. By using this technology, drivers don’t need to look at their phones at all.  This seems like a simple expectation that could prevent senseless accidents like mine from occurring more.