I believe strongly that every driver should go through a driver’s education course and practice frequently with their permit before getting their license. I accredit my skill and confidence in driving to my parent’s dedication to putting me in the driver’s seat as much as possible before my test, and especially to the driver’s education course they enrolled me in. The course solidified the importance of awareness and the responsibility of driving even more for me. Getting behind the wheel of a car each day is a decision that should not be made lightly, deadly mistakes are made on the road much too often and if drivers were more thoughtful and observant, many of these tragedies could be avoided. I was the victim of a rollover car accident at the fault of another driver who failed to stop at a red light in August of last year and still struggle with PTSD from my experience. Her failure to yield to the light caused me a great deal of pain and lasting trauma, and I hope to use my experience to help someone realize that even if you may think you’re invincible, you’re not. Tragedy can happen to anyone at any time, and I consider myself lucky to not be another statistic in car crash fatalities.
One thing any driver must realize is that no matter how prepared you are or how skilled you may be at driving, other drivers are often the most considerable danger. You never know whether the driver in the car next to you is on their phone, half asleep, or drunk. This is why attentiveness is one of the most important aspects of driving in my eyes. Last year I was a senior in high school and had my license for about a year. I was on my way to work and was coming up on an intersection I’ve passed through my entire life. I had the green light and was driving through when I noticed a car to my right barreling toward me, obviously unaware of my presence. I attempted to swerve and honked, but it was too late by the time I noticed her, and she struck my passenger side doors. The next thing I knew I was upside down and every air bag in the car had gone off- I had no idea there were so many until they were surrounding me. I knew it was bad when I realized I was being held up by nothing but my seat belt and saw the shattered glass surrounding me like a sky full of terrifying little stars. I started honking frantically and screaming for help, I had no idea where the car had landed, if anyone would see me, and most terrifyingly, if another car would come by and hit me again while I hung there helplessly. I waited for what felt like forever but was likely less than five minutes before two men rushed to my side and pushed the airbags out of the way to speak to me through what used to be my windows. They asked if I was okay, and in a shaky voice I responded, “I’m only seventeen, please help me.” Of the few details I remember from these moments this is the clearest in my mind. I was likely in shock looking back, but it was all I could do to repeat “I’m just a kid. I’m only seventeen. Please help. Someone call my mom!” The men luckily had a knife and cut my seatbelt, before helping me lower myself onto the roof and crawl through the window.
I had no idea how to properly advocate for myself this day. Although I’m typically very outspoken and clear about my needs, when I felt my car start spinning and found my legs wrapped around the steering wheel trying to take some of the pressure off the seatbelt digging into my shoulder, I had no words. Once I was out of the car and the paramedics and police showed up, I saw the girl that hit me for the first time. I realized it wasn’t her that had come to my aid, but two kind strangers who stopped their cars after seeing mine abandoned in the road. When I looked up from the pool of glass I’d been sitting in and locked eyes with her, she stared back at me with her arms crossed. We were at the scene for 30 minutes if I had to guess before I was driven off in an ambulance and she was able to drive away with no repercussions, only a scratch on her front bumper to show what had happened. I wish so badly that I’d been able to communicate what had happened to the police more clearly that day or even speak to the girl who hit me. Sadly, there were no cameras at the intersection, and the only other car who’d witnessed the accident drove away and didn’t report who was at fault. This led to her having the ability to spin her own narrative and say I had hit her, and she’d had a green light. When the policeman came for my statement a second time, I was scared and unsure of myself and told him that I had thought my light was green, but maybe I was wrong. This is something I still think about, I wonder how credible a traumatized child really can be when pressed in this situation. If they had called later or even given me the chance to gather my thoughts, I would have said “Absolutely she ran the light. I’m positive.” Due to the lack of security at the scene and her unwillingness to cooperate, it was marked “both at fault” and my insurance skyrocketed.
The point of my essay and sharing my story is this: you have a responsibility to every single other person on the road as well as yourself to PAY ATTENTION and drive safely. You can make a difference in driving safety simply by staying off your phone, getting a good night’s rest, and making sure you have a DD any time you go out to party. There is never ANY excuse to put someone else’s life on the line because of your inability to make sound decisions. Driver’s education should be mandatory and refresher courses should be offered, and anyone arrested for DUI or reckless driving should have to attend a set number of hours to get their license back. One of the biggest things learned from this is the importance of having a dash cam installed in your vehicle. You can’t rely on other drivers to do the right thing and be truthful, so you should be able to cover your back to ensure no one can spin the story to blame it on you if something does go wrong. Car crashes are tragic and inevitable in small numbers, but the frequency of them in our country is absurd and there is no excuse.