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Impact of an Accident

Name: Allan Berche
From: Bellevue, Washington
Votes: 0

I
felt my entire body jerk forward on the moment of impact, time seemed
to slow down as the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass
filled the cabin of my family’s car. I was 11 years old when my
family’s minivan was rear ended by a truck on the highway driven by
a man who was texting on his phone. In the moment, the shock from the
accident kept me from feeling any emotions. Under good fortune, no
one in my family was seriously injured. Except for my Dad who got
whiplash and needed treatment over a period of weeks. Where there
wasn’t much physical damage, there was a lot of mental damage. I
couldn’t get in a car for weeks, usually walking to school or
taking the school bus. Once I was able to get into a car I couldn’t
be in it without constantly turning around to make sure someone
wasn’t going to hit us again. I was afraid of being in another
accident, not only being in one but this time not surviving.

Safe
driving is not just a skill, but a life style that should be
encouraged to all drivers regardless of age and experience on the
road. Educating new and current drivers on the results of vehicular
collisions is where it all begins. Having the knowledge of what your
actions can not only do to you, but others around you establishes the
baseline responsibility a driver has. Beyond just the risks, teaching
drivers about safe techniques will help them build the habits needed
to be a safe driver on the road. A car is not just a car, it is heavy
machinery travels at speeds that can easily injure or kill people.

Good
habit forming is the number one way to maintain safe driving
techniques. It
’s
not always the big things like not going over the speed limit or
paying attention to the other cars, the small actions you do need
focus. First would be using turn signals, ignoring the state of
traffic, turn signals should always be used. In a neighbor hood, it
lets pedestrians know where you’re going, while on the highway it
tells other cars that you are changing lanes and not just drifting.
The fear of seeing another car drifting over can scare drivers,
putting them in a tense state that could have been avoided. Another
essential skill I personally think is needed to be used is
head/mirror checks. In an age where technology in cars is increasing
to the point of autonomy, human decision is still needed to be safe.
When changing lanes, checking the blind spots is important because
camera can not always help in determining car speed, or catch them in
your blind spots.

As
a driver of two years I have made what I have felt like a strong
efforts to be a safe driver. This includes the actions previously
mentioned where I always use a turn signal regardless off road
conditions, along with a mirror and head checks whenever I turn.
Within the car I always have my phone in car mode and outside of
reach so I don
’t
get distracted by it when driving. Among other minimizing
distractions: when using the radio I minimize the time my eyes are
off the road, with passengers I use them to assist me in left turns
when in traffic while also reminding them to help me by not acting as
distractions themselves.

In
the end I strongly believe in encouraging safe road driving. These
are deaths and injuries that can be avoided by taking the time to be
responsible for yourself for the safety of others while on the road.
Accidents are more than just a collision, they
’re
an event that shape how someone grows for years to come.