Name: LaTondrana Penny
From: Milwaukee, WI
Votes: 0
Life
Behind the Wheel
By:
LaTondrana Penny
Did
you know that in the 10 years prior to 2019, car accidents were the
leading cause of deaths in Wisconsin for people of age 1 to 45 years?
It is said that 4% of those crashes end to be fatal, while only 24%
are injurious. I have fallen victim of that 24% and unfortunately
have known people who had fallen victim to that 4%. My accident and
the accident of my best friend helped shaped me into the person I am
on the road today.
Tuesday,
February 13th,
2018 my friends and I were on the way to pick up another friend, when
someone ran a red light and we collided in an intersection. I was not
the driver but a backseat passenger. Fortunately, no one was fatally
injured in our car or the other. I remember the second before we
crashed it seemed as if time had gone into slow motion. The girl in
the front passenger seat had yelled out “slow down!” The driver
pressed hard onto the breaks, but it was too late. BOOM! I opened my
eyes, and everything was foggy, the front of the car was completely
ruined. I remember wires and cords hanging from the ceiling and
thinking the car looked like the inside of an old run-down hospital.
The driver’s hand was smashed. The other girl in the front seat had
hit the air bag, me and the passenger in the back had also been
impacted by airbags, thankfully we were all blessed to be confined
behind a seatbelt. The car was totaled the same day, I felt it was a
small price to pay in exchange for my life. This experience showed me
just how important road safety is. Before then I had never thought
that anything like that would ever happen to me. I’m grateful that
I came out of the accident with only a headache and bruised face
because almost a year later. My best friend did not have the same
liberty.
Thursday
April 18th,
2019 a boy had been admitted into the hospital after a head on
collision with a school bus and a car took place. That boy was my
best friend. He also was a back-seat passenger, me and him had been
sitting in the same spot of the car during our accidents. However, he
was not confined by a seatbelt and in result was thrown out of the
car when the vehicles collided. The driver this time had been
speeding and the accident happened without a notice. There was no way
to prevent it. Everyone in the car was taken to the hospital.
However, my best friend had fallen into coma and three days later he
passed. This has been one of the most challenging events of my year.
But it has opened my eyes to realize that when you are driving, you
are driving not only for you but everyone else. Sometimes the
accident could be your mistake, sometimes it could be someone else’s…
all the time you must do what you can to prevent things like that
from taking place. This means knowing your rules, safety precautions,
and being a mindful driver and using them. Remember that one small
act of negligence can change your life forever. After all cars were
not created as machines to hurt anyone, it is the person behind the
wheel who commits the act. So, whenever you sit behind a wheel
remember that it is a blessing to leave your home every day and
return safely. It is blessing that every person deserves to receive.
