Name: Alexa Paige Sisco
From: South Lyon, Michigan
Votes: 0
You
are Very Lucky
Driving is a very
exciting thing for teenagers, it brings freedom and opportunities.
However, it brings many dangers and downfalls. It is incredibly
dangerous and needs to be taken seriously. Given this much freedom at
a young age can lead to recklessness and misuse. Through my driving
experience I have encountered many adults who misuse their license as
well such as, drinking and driving, distracted driving, and reckless
driving. All of which can lead to serious accidents. Even though
there are many culprits that lead to accidents, both of my stories
only involve one. Driving under the influence.
My very first car
accident was right before I turned 16. I was in drivers training and
freshly aware of all of the dangers of driving. I was coming home
from a tennis tournament with my friend who had her license for about
half a year. She was a good driver and passed her test with flying
colors. We were stopped at a stop light on a 55mph road when all of a
sudden I saw her staring into her mirror very nervously. Then, we
heard a loud bang. The car jumped forward about 10 feet. I looked to
my right and there she was, laying on the passenger side of the car
on the dashboard. She looked distressed and out of it. We were both
terrified calling 911 because we didn’t know where we were, who she
was, or what to do. This was both of our first accidents. After
calling 911 we got out of the car and called our parents. A bystander
was helping the other lady get out of her car and police were on
their way. When they got there they made sure everyone was ok and
then proceeded to ask questions. After evaluating the situation my
friends car was totaled and the Policeman explained that we were
lucky to be alive. She was way over the legal limit of alcohol and
her car was full of empty medicine bottles.In that moment I realized
the importance of safe driving. Her careless decision could have
taken away two young, innocent girls lives.
My second car
accident I was the driver. I had just turned 17 and was excited to
have more than one person in my car with me. I decided to go get ice
cream with three of my friends. We were in front of the ice cream
shop about to pull in. I was stopped in the lane waiting for the
right lanes traffic to clear before I could turn. I had my blinker on
and had been stopped for quite a while due to the traffic of it being
the 4th of July. I looked in my rear view mirror worrying about all
the traffic I was holding up when I noticed a car quickly approaching
me not appearing to be stopping. Before I knew it, we were pushed a
football field away due to the driver going 55 in a 45mph zone. He
got out of his car and threw alcohol bottles into the woods and then
proceeding to approach me and yell at me for my apparently “reckless
and careless driving” as soon as a bystander took my side and
explained I did nothing wrong, he changed his story to my “lack of
having my turn signal on”. However, I did in fact have it on. I was
still a new driver who was very cautious. As soon as the cops
arrived, they found out he was drunk. Due to his stumbling, falling,
and his breath test. He was arrested and at fault for driving under
the influence. He made me realize that driving under the influence
not only can hurt myself but others. His car was totalled and mine
had thousands of dollars in damage. Driving drunk is not only
careless, but horrendous. It is easy to call a cab, uber, a friend of
even a family member instead of risking not only your life but
others.
Both of these
accidents have made me very passionate about not drinking and
driving. My situation could have been much worse and it wouldn’t
have even been my fault. Just because you want to drive your own car
home or some other silly excuse is not worth the risk of your own
health or someone else’s. Safe driving not only includes being fully
aware of the situation, but being safe and cautious about your
decisions and actions. Driving affects others on the road, animals,
and pedestrians. It is not just about your own safety it includes
everyone else’s as well. I know many people who have lost their lives
driving, this is an important matter that needs to be taken seriously
because it can be very consequential.
Driving with
caution and responsibility is insanely important. In the matter of 5
or less seconds someone could lose their life from yours or their own
mistake. Driving needs to be taken seriously in order to be a useful
and safe way of transportation. All in all driving was made for
transportation and not for fun. We need to use our privileges wisely
and carefully in order to use them to the best of our abilities.
