Although I am only 17 years old, I have already been in three car accidents; one of which, I was the driver. These disastrous events inflicted trauma upon me and taught me lessons I will never forget. I have learned the hard way very important driving truths, such as avoiding braking on icy roads, looking both ways before crossing an intersection even when you have the green light, and avoiding making lane changes in high-traffic areas. Each of these is touched on during drivers’ training classes, but their importance is easy to overlook. After having my license for about two months, I got into a car accident and ended up totaling my car, and it was completely my fault.
Drivers’ training classes taught me so much about driving and scared me out of doing irresponsible things. Segment 1 teaches you what all of the signs and lights mean, how to adapt to road conditions, what different symbols and buttons on your car do and mean, and other basic driving skills and rules. It even includes 10 hours of a combination of behind-the-wheel driving with an instructor and observing another student drive. It teaches you all of the basic information necessary to drive. In the class, they stress keeping a safe following distance from other cars. This might be one of the most valuable lessons taught during Segment 1 because it encourages safe and nonaggressive driving and ensures students will have more reaction time for any event. If drivers implement this tactic, it will significantly reduce the amount of both car accidents and deaths. After Segment 1, the student drives for 60 hours with their parents or guardians. Then comes Segment 2; it is the short but serious class that scares drivers out of driving under the influence, while tired, or while distracted. Together, these classes create a thorough education for new drivers. All the significant information is taught to the students, and the addition of Segment 2 likely reduces the number of deaths from driving most effectively by strongly indenting in young drivers that they must avoid reckless driving practices. The knowledge and advice these classes distribute are very helpful and comprehensive, but ultimately, it is up to the driver to actually implement them.
Unfortunately, drivers’ training rules and procedures are often not applied, causing many car accidents. The first car accident I was in occurred due to braking and steering too suddenly on icy roads. Thankfully, it did not result in any injuries or much trauma, but a rearview mirror and a metal fence were both harmed. Through this experience, I was shown how necessary it is to drive carefully on icy roads, especially icy dirt roads, and to not react suddenly when your car starts to slip. Later when my sister was 16, she and I were driving home from church, and we were T-boned by a lady who ran a red light. Our car ended up flipping and landing on its side. Again, neither of us was injured except for minor cuts and airbag burns. However, it was mentally difficult for both of us. We felt completely alone with our parents half an hour away, and neither of us could believe what just happened. It was completely surreal and not in a good way. The car was totaled, and we both had trouble being in cars for a little while. We could have easily died in that car accident, and that truth was not lost on us. This terrible event has been a reminder to me about following driving rules even when it is inconvenient and about not driving distracted, which was likely the cause of the accident. Accidents caused by someone else blowing a stop sign or red light can be prevented by drivers looking both ways before crossing an intersection. However, like in this case, accidents can not always be avoided when someone else chooses not to stop.
Participation in two car accidents already seems like a lot, but sadly, the third car accident I was in was caused by my irresponsibility. I wish I could say I was distracted, but I was not. I was driving in a high-traffic area on the way to school. I normally would not have taken that route, but the road I typically take was closed that day. Drivers in the area I was in tend to brake suddenly and drive aggressively. I had only been driving by myself for two months, and I was always driving too aggressively. I drove like I was always trying to cut off time, so I changed lanes a lot, attempting to avoid any unnecessary waiting. I was in a lane that kept braking, but the lane to the right was not as clogged. So, to get out of the slow lane, I tried to change lanes to the right, but I did not even look. It was like I was not even thinking. It was not normal for me to not look. At the same time as I started to change lanes and side-swiped a car, the car in front of me braked hard, and I rear-ended them. It was very scary, and I remember just screaming. My hood was completely uplifted and bent; a few of my airbags went off. Here I was a new driver not knowing what to do or what even just happened. I constantly kept thinking about how I had become a statistic. In Segment 2, they scared me with the statistic that 43% of drivers are involved in an accident within their first year of driving. I always overlooked these warnings, thinking they would never include me. The drivers I hit were both very nice to me and called the cops for me. I remember standing on the side of the road with all of my school stuff watching them tow my destroyed car, which I spent so much time researching and picking out. I was crushed and so ashamed. I spent the rest of the day intermittently crying; I literally could not stop. I still cry when I think about it. I did not drive on my own for about two months because I did not want to and did not have a car.
The accident taught me a lot of important lessons. Firstly, do not try to change lanes in high-traffic areas. This is because one never knows if the car in front of them is going to suddenly hit their brakes. This situation is a very easy way to rear-end someone, so it is better to just wait it out and not make sudden movements. Secondly, new drivers should not be worried about arriving somewhere quickly or cutting off time; it will simply lead to making reckless maneuvers and decisions. Instead, they should focus on driving as smoothly as they can. This is what I focused on most when I started driving again. I had realized before the accident that I was driving jerkily and focusing on driving smoothly significantly improved my driving. I have also noticed by driving with my friends who are also young drivers that it is very common for new drivers to make hard stops, not brake enough going into turns, and tail people. Lastly, the topic they hit on every class of Segment 1 is actually important: maintains a good following distance. I was following too closely behind the car in front of me, and when I was distracted by trying to change lanes, I did not have sufficient time to hit my brakes. Now, I avoid tailing people and try to keep at least a distance of a car between the car in front of me. Although these experiences were awful, I am glad that I went through them because they have each made me a better driver and inflicted a healthy respect for driving.