Spinning Out of Control

 This year for back to school I inherited money to get a car. I was ecstatic to get a car, but my mother did not feel the same way. She told me she was scared for me to drive, and she would like for me to be a better defensive driver and more alert. I never understood why she was so heavy on me about this when in reality I just wanted the car not the  complications with getting it. Until I finally saw why her advice was so important. One day my family and I were going to a friends house. It was raining heavy that the road was barely visible. While my mother was driving a vehicle tried to merge onto the highway from the emergency lane in front of my mother. My mother hit the breaks to prevent from hitting the vehicle, but our vehicle started to hydroplane and spin out of control. We swerved across the highway with my mother remaining calm and having full control and maneuvering the vehicle during this time. My sister and I was screaming but in this moment she remained calm and stopped the car from hydroplaning and shifting. Afterwards I asked her if she was okay and she said she was scared in the moment, but she had to make sure we were safe. This taught me driving is not just getting behind the wheel, but you caring for other peoples lives as well as your own. You have to be alert and have self control while driving. Just imagine if my mother was not alert or did not have self control in that moment then I don't know what would have occurred that day. In reality people do not realize cars can kill you. 

Cars are tons of weight with just a person inside. This is why it's important to practice safe and aware driving because a car can take a life in a second. After that day, my mother started teaching me how to be more alert of my surroundings when driving. Now I still want a car however I am not as eager to get one as before. I am learning how to concentrate on what she is doing while driving so I can be a good defensive driver.  I have seen my classmates continuously not using their blinker or running a stop sign when departing from school. In my health class we went over driving and we actually were shown videos of kids getting into car accidents and the aftermath from it. This event that has happened in my life and what I have learned so far has caused me to think differently about driving and how I want to be alert and ready for anything when driving on the road. Daily when I practice driving I worry because of how my mothers car spun out of control. I know one day I will have to know how to defend myself on the road, so I can prevent myself from an accident.

 All the time I would hear people talk about getting into a car accident but I never though something like that could happen to me. That day my heart was pounding fast and I was very frantic with every spin of the car. Everything seemed to pause due to me not knowing if we would fall into the ditch next to us or if we would be able to get out of this situation. This event made me notice how driving should be taken more seriously. A lot of times kids want cars which is understandable, but what kids also need to understand is that a car is a serious matter. It can take your life in a split second if you are not paying attention. In my neighborhood a lady that my family knew died from a car accident. The person speeding had a red light and she had the right away, but the car continued to drive. She was turning right when she was hit and her car went  around a poll and she passed away. These events have caused my thoughts on driving to be different than what it was before. Therefore I want to make sure I prevent myself and others from getting into an accident. From me seeing how the kids from my school do not pay attention from driving and hearing about accidents happing makes me want to be a better driver overall.