Patrick Mahony
October 30, 2019



In
todays society, driving is something that is not apricated enough. We
take for driving and using cars for granted, a 5 minute drive seems
like nothing compared a 20 minute walk. Since we are so accustomed to
driving and how accessible cars are, we can forget rules of the road
or become a little reckless. We say “No its fine, don’t worry I
am a great driver!” but in reality we are all on the road together,
so when people use their phone while driving or when people think
they are okay to drive after having a fun night out with friends,
they are putting themselves at risk and anyone else out there.
Something we can all do is to do our part of safe driving, I know
this best because I myself am a very safe driver, I haven’t
received any tickets or parking violations in my time of driving. My
driving is recognized by my peers and family and I take pride in my
driving. We can remind friends or family to stay off their phones
while they are driving, making sure they don’t get road rage, and
making sure they are okay to drive.
I
have not witnessed any of my family members or friends in a car
accident and I never wish to see that, but there was an accident I
witnessed with my dad. We were driving home from a double header
baseball game, it was sometime in October, the leaves were beginning
to turn golden yellow and orange. There was a car in front of us that
kind of drifted into the other lane very slowly and as soon as I knew
it the car smashed into another car coming the other way, my dad
slammed on the breaks and seemed as shocked as I was. There was a
moment of silence after the accident, my dad and I were right being
the accident sitting in the car just taking it in. He got out of the
car and told me he was going to go see if everyone was alright and as
he was getting out of the car I believe he started to call 911. As an
eleven-year-old I stayed in the car, I was petrified. All I could
think about if the people involved were okay, I watched my dad walk
up to the mangled driver’s side of the car that was in front of us
originally, now somewhat off the road with the back tires stuck in a
ditch, he tried opening the door but it seemed stuck. My dad came
back to the car and telling me that we would be able to leave when
emergency services arrived. After that day I never learned the
conditions of the people involved in the crash, but the remaining car
ride back to my house, my dad explained to me sometimes people can be
on the road a long time and fall asleep or doze off for a bit. He
told me that’s all it takes to total your car and change your life
forever. It made me see driving completely different from that day
on.