The Vows of Distracted Driving

Maybe it was because “Jackson” by Elle King shouldn’t have been blaring through my speakers at such an intense volume. Maybe it happened because I had a fight with my best friend that morning and I was already in a bad mood. Maybe it was because I was in a new area and had to rely on my GPS so heavily. Regardless of what the catalyst of my accident was, it could’ve been prevented.

On July 17, 2020, my one task of the day was to chauffeur my younger sister Mason to her softball practice. Not only was this practice in an area unfamiliar to me, it was also 35 minutes away and practice started at the peak of rush hour.

After dropping off my sister, I turned around to head home. I had plans that night I was exceptionally excited for, and the thoughts of seeing friends whomst I hadn’t seen in weeks excited me to my core. But that excitement had quite a short lifespan.

On the corner of Crapabble Sreet and Awburry Road, I was blaring my music loud and clear, enjoying the day as it had been. I had been hired for a new job that morning, I had my favorite food for lunch, and I was going to a sleepover party that night, nothing could have stalled my dopamine rush, except a grey, 2017 Ford F-150.

In the mere five seconds that my mind drifted from the current matter of driving, my foot left the brake and bumped the back of the car ahead of me. Immediately, I was in a state of shock. I had gotten a 95 on my driver’s test, constant compliments on my driving skills from friends and family, and had been driving my sister far and wide for months since I received my license. So what made this situation different?

After the owner of the truck and I disputed with insurance on the condition of each of our cars and the approach, the owner of the vehicle I hit left. For ten minutes, I sat in the parking lot of a Smoothie King contemplating on my actions.

There in that gravel lot, I came to the conclusion on three thoughts. Number one, I was never going to have my volume above 15 again while I drove. Whether that meant I was with others, alone, day, or night, I was not going to let it surpass 15. Secondly, I was going to make sure my phone was nowhere near me at all times, though it wasn’t the direct reason for my crash. I knew that distracted driving was one of the leading causes for adolescent death in Georgia, but it never crossed my mind that I would actually contribute to it. And finally, I vowed to myself to never drive under the influence, nor let anyone else ever commit such an act.