I always knew that teens are the most likely to get into car accidents, I mean, I heard about it all the time. Hearing people in the hallways talking about how they need new cars or that someone hit them in the parking lot. I always thought, “Yeah people are dumb,” and moved on. I got my first car, named her GG, and drove her for around 9 months, Then, on September 8th, 2022, I got into an accident. Driving in my boyfriend at the time’s neighborhood, I noticed that the sun was super bright that day. I went to put my visor down, and by the point, it was two-thirds of the way down, I was three feet away from a white truck that must’ve been hidden in the sun. From there it was a bit of a blur, I had hit my nose and my first reaction was to make sure I didn’t pass out by literally looking in my mirror and repeating, “Don’t pass out,” over and over. People in the neighborhood had called the cops, and I just felt very alone. At the time, my mom was out of the country and my dad lives far away with a schedule that doesn’t align with mine, I was 16, injured, and just wanted to go to school. The officer was seemingly sick of all of this, and I just felt so confused and scared because I had no idea what the right responses were, and I felt so bad that I couldn’t stop crying. They got me into the ambulance and my mom’s best friend was available to come and get me. After everything was over, I did end up going to school. My dad came by after school, wanting to take me to dinner. I was sad about the loss of my car and freedom, so I agreed. We were on our way, and of course, with my luck, we got rear-ended by a teen on her phone. She had hit two cars in total, smashing one in between us and her vehicle. What I cannot fathom to this day is how some people go their whole lives without getting into an accident and I had gone through two in one day. It was quite honestly laughable. Not in a funny sense, but in a sense that as I grow up I find more and more of these statistics that were hammered into me as a kid becoming true. Maybe it’s just because when you’re young you don’t get it, but now I feel like I fully understand why all these statistics are shoved into our small brains.
Instances like this or when other people I hear of get into accidents remind me how important driver’s education is. While a lot of people find it to be a hassle, it is so important to know the actual rules of the road. I have seen many people who don’t and cause unnecessary deaths because they don’t understand that it isn’t their turn at a stop or don’t understand a simple roundabout, which I believe a lot of older people need to be taught how to drive through because many of my older family doesn’t seem to know. A major step away from deaths related to driving is people learning how to put their phone down to just simply drive. People have become so reliant on their phones that they cannot put them down, and it’s honestly bigger of a problem than anyone can emphasize. When I saw the billboards as a kid, I was always like, “I don’t think it’s that serious,” but now I truly do get it. My parents were just safe drivers, but many of the people out there are not. It says a lot that to this day I feel guilt because I have no clue if the police officer who responded to my accident thinks I was texting. It makes me sad, honestly. I shouldn’t have to have that guilt because people should just put their phones down and enjoy driving for what it is. Put on some music and just focus on the road. It is not that hard. There are even settings now where you can text loved ones that you are driving automatically so you don’t have to go through that effort. People just desperately need to learn and understand that your phone will still be there in 30 minutes, but you may not if you don’t put it down.