What I learned from my Car Accident

What I learned from my Car Accident

Never have I thought I would ever be responsible for a car accident. I am a model student for driver education. I followed all the rules. I never drink while driving. I am confident behind the wheel. I always wear my seatbelt. I obey all traffic rules. I put myself in the best situation to get to point A to point B safely, but I disregarded all those rules during my accident. After this crash, I realize how much of an idiot I am and how important driver education is to promote a safe driving environment. I feel ashamed telling this story, but I hope you can learn something from it.

My friend and I were coming home from work. We were on the highway, and everything seemed perfect. It was another late night. The roads were clear and the sky was a silent beauty. BOOM! As I see and hear a blue car zoom past my right side and hit my mirror. The car was easily going over a hundred and tried to pass me. I believe the driver was drunk, so he/she miscalculated the distance. I was in disbelief because this was the first time I had been in a car accident. I did not know what to do. Running through my head was the thought of my insurance skyrocketing, and my parents losing trust in me. “What do I do?” I thought. Usually, I am a calm person, but at this moment, I began becoming enraged.

This led to my first major mistake. I let my emotions control me and became a reckless driver, disregarding my life and my friends’ lives. I speeded up to catch the driver as my friends cheered me on. We did not know what to do but getting revenge. We were a bunch of naive high school graduates who felt we had the world in our hands, or so we thought. I reached him/her and honked my horn. Convinced the driver would pull over, I slowed down. To my surprise, the driver sped up to escape me. “He MUST PAY,” I thought. Once again, consumed by my confusion, I became more enraged. I chased after the driver, and when he successfully made a sharp right turn, I made that same turn and failed. I crashed into the curb and hit my right and back tire. I had my first major car crash. Never have I ever thought this day would come. Immediately, I woke up from my consumed rage and confusion, and I realized how much of an idiot I am. Luckily, my friends did not get hurt, but all I could think was I could have blood on my hands if I had been any less fortunate.

Now, I realize the importance of controlling emotions behind the wheel.No matter how good a driver is, he/she can become reckless in a flash and become a potential danger. Funny enough, after my major crash, I knew exactly what to do – call 911 and my parents. I followed the exact procedure, but when the driver hit my car, my friends and I were lost. I wish I had learned this life lesson when I was learning to drive, but now I know my mistakes, and will not make it again.

I never dare touch alcohol while driving. I always wear my seatbelt while in a car. Why? This message has been ingrained in my mind from driver education. I follow all the rules to be a defensive driver because I know the consequences of bad driving. I let my ego get the better of me, especially at that moment. I realize how easy it is to become blind at your own ability. In my case, when I made that sharp right turn, I believed I was a good enough driver to make that turn. I just had to try. Big mistake. If I could rewind the hands of time, I would have let the reckless driver go and drive my friends safely home. However, you are not me. You know my mistakes, and I urge you to keep your emotions in check.

Drunk driving is dangerous, and I am glad it is taught about in driver education, but I believe your emotions also play a vital role. This education platform sets the foundation for the drivers that form the driving ecosystem. The fewer unsafe driver, the safer the ecosystem is. Therefore, this platform should teach all aspects of safe driving like keeping your emotions in check. Driver education should not only teach how to control your emotions but show the potential consequence of letting your emotions consume you via a skit or an animation. However, here is the most important part – the road test. I believe the road test is too easy. I believe the road test should be more difficult. To make it more difficult, this test should also test student’s ability to stay calm under pressure. Instead of giving the students the best conditions, the students should have unbearable situations like driving without the air conditioner and having a difficult instructor, testing if the student can stay calm under stress. Although this test will make it more difficult for students to pass the road test, this harder test will ensure the driver that makes the driving ecosystem will be more competent, reducing the number of accidents.

I have shared my stories with my relatives and friends, so they do not suffer the same fate as I did. I hope sharing my stories inspires you to drive safely and control your emotions because you only have one life. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay, and giving me this opportunity! Drive safe!