In a Blink of an Eye

Nothing is better than being able to access freedom as a teenager, to explore the great horizons of this gorgeous world. The adrenaline rush of driving as a teenager provides that satisfaction towards freedom, and being able to use a tool such as a car to drive around and have friends in a car all together making memories, singing to songs, dancing, cracking jokes is what makes driving so special. Those memories are permanent, to everyone who is in the car. That is until a terrible accident occurs, the driver is distracted by the music, distracted by being lost in a forming memory that it becomes hard to drive, and when this occurs tragedies occur. In a blink of an eye, every friend in that car can wind up injured or worse dead. Not only does this affect the friends in the car but it can create a ripple effect and affect third parties.

Every single year, about three thousand teenagers alone end up being killed in car accidents. There could be multiple factors for why this is such a huge number, such as situations that include texting and driving, being in a car with peer relations, substance abuse and/or little to no driver’s education. The first assumption of pre-drivers is that it is a skill that can be easily obtained by observing and learning quickly without practice, and yes part of driving is observing but the most essential factor of driving is understanding the rules and regulations. By not understanding the importance of drivers etiquette and rules this puts other third parties in risk, meaning this puts other drivers or other passengers in risk of fatal injuries to death.

Nothing is scarier than being the passenger in this situation. As someone who has witnessed how fast an accident can happen I know how terrifying the screech of tires sound, how quickly your heart starts to beat when you are suddenly launched towards the object in front of you, how scared the driver looks. This had happened a day after school in the spring, the sun was shining bright and hard. Everyday after school during this time period I would get a ride home from a friend who was willing to drive me home. The only problem with my friend was they had only started to begin their driver’s education. As much as I knew how risky this was, I had not had one care in the world as I was finally starting to have a taste of freedom, something that was rare for me to have. They had gained my trust after the first ride, as they had seemed to know what they were doing. I was also convinced by the fact that they had been illegally driving for a while, so knowing that they had experience had eased any nerves that I had.

This trust would break after this school day. As usual we were heading to my house so I could be dropped off, we would take turns playing songs and singing. The entire experience was so much fun. That day there was traffic that had made us change our regular route, leading us to a street with construction. Now, my friend has a reputation for being very impatient and the construction on this road has tested those limits. They had become so impatient to a point they had begun to cut through construction cones believing that this was legal to do as the yellow lines were broken. As soon as we began to join the normal road, my life flashed before me. In this moment all I could think about was if this was my last moment, I could not let it be because I did not get to say I love you to my loved ones.

My friend, the driver, had not seen a car heading towards us while returning to the lanes. The breaks were slammed on, horns were honking, where I was once sitting I was pushed face fire towards the dashboard. Being in a situation like that is like no other, it sticks to you for a long time. I could have died that day, and it would have been to my friends poor education in drivers ed.

The responsible and most safe option is to know the rules of driving, it is always important to know that you have an understanding of what you are doing without. By knowing these rules you become a hero. The life you save may just be your own.