Driver Education Saved Me and My Brother

Gemma Cohen

October, 24 2020

DRIVER EDUCATION SAVED ME AND MY BROTHER

I am living proof of the importance of driver education, emphasis on the word, “living!” I learned to drive from an accredited driving school. My instructor did much more than teach me to stop at a light and put on my turn singles. I learned defensive driving, to try to predict the decisions and/or actions of other drivers on the road, and what to do in an emergency. These skills, unfortunately, came into play on July 3, 2020.

It was 10:30pm and I went to pick up my thirteen-year-old brother from his friend’s house, which was no more than 10 minutes away. I was driving home, going the speed limit of 25 miles per hour and had a green light to cross an intersection. Another driver, in a small SUV, blasted through their red light and smashed head on into my Kia Forte. I heard the ear splitting sound of metal grinding into metal and glass shattering. The worst sound was my brother, who was in the back seat, hitting something and screaming. The other did not have her lights on and t-boned my car because she was speeding and did not stop even with the initial impact.

The good news is that I was not hurt. I unbuckled my seat belt and checked on my brother who had hit his head and nose on his skateboard, which he was holding upright on his lap. I grabbed a hoodie that was on the front seat and pressed it against his face to stop the bleeding. I already heard sirens so I was relieved to know we would get help. As it turned out, there was a police car behind me and one stationed at the light so they saw everything. Later the cops me that the fact I was going the speed limit and had quick reaction to the oncoming car may have saved us. The fact that the SUV was totaled as badly as my little Kia Forte, depicted this truth. My driving instructor taught me to check my mirrors are correctly positioned and my seat is not less than ten inches from the steering wheel before starting the car. My hands are always at 8:00 and 4:00, which saved me from major injuries from the airbag. I only received bruises on my arms.

When my mom showed up at the scene of the accident, she was shocked to see me walking around and talking with the police officers. They told her that my defensive move of slamming on the brakes was a determining factor for my brother and I surviving the accident. I was proud to hear that because I felt terrible about my brother’s broken nose and cut on his head but the doctor and nurses at the hospital told me that these were minor compared what they see from accidents.

I later learned that the driver had been under the influence. This made me very mad because when a person gets in a car under the influence and hits another car, it is not an “accident.” However, I am glad I made the choice to receive driver’s education and go to driving school so I could be a smart, prepared and defensive driver.