The screech of twisting metal still echoes in my mind today. It was a warm summer evening with nothing out of the ordinary, well until it wasn’t. I had just been cut off by a jeep wrangler with its doors and roof off, who then sped away. As I came over the hill with the jeep, we both got into the right lane as we were approaching an on/off ramp for the tollway. I then see a SUV run through the stop sign headed straight for either the jeep or I. Within a split second I witnessed his jeep airborne flipping and turning before slamming down on the pavement. The driver was ejected from his vehicle whilst in the air, turning my stomach inside out.

I remember sitting frozen, hands wrapped around the wheel with my heart pounding through my chest. Everything around me felt stuck as if the world was in slow motion. With me being the only other person on the road before others showed up, I ran to the man to see if he had made it. My phone automatically called the first responders when it felt my truck come to a hard stop. Sadly, the man did not make it home that day which I never wish on my enemy. That man, as someone I didn’t know, had taken the hit meant for me. If he hadn't swerved in front cutting me off moments before, that twisted wreckage could have been mine. The other driver was then checked out by the paramedics to see if they were okay and smelt an odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. She was then tested for substances and was later found under the influence and charged.

Witnessing that crash forced me to come to the realization of the real world and how fast your life can change from one bad decision. It wasn’t just another news story I saw on the internet, but one I witnessed with my own two eyes. I watched the paramedics run to the motionless body, while bystanders sat in silence. The fear in their eyes could also be seen in mine. For a while afterward, I couldn’t keep the visual out of my mind. I kept replaying in my mind, wondering why I had been spared. Why did he cut me off? Why did he have to speed off? Why was I so lucky that day? At first, I crumbled with survivor's guilt, but after a while I realized that I had a reason to be alive today. This did not just scar me, but rather ignited the responsibility to live with worth and not decisions. I knew I couldn't control what had already happened, but I could control how I used what happened.

When all students have taken their drivers ed course, all of the distracted driving and under the influence topics are clearly covered with the punishments if found guilty. Drivers ed plays a significant role in young teen driving. It has altered some kids' minds to think that it is a joke, but some truly understand what can happen in the real world. One of the most followed habits of teen drivers is paying attention to their phone rather than the road ahead of them which is one of the leading wreck causes today. Another is peer pressure when young teens think it is cool to influence their friends to drive after drinking. This is a major no, and no teen should even think of driving once touching alcohol. As I mentioned earlier, the woman who caused the wreck was underage and under the influence at the time of the wreck and in an instant her life was changed forever because she gambled her life and put others at risk while taking one all because of alcohol.

A quote to live by when thinking about drunk driving is “One irresponsible decision can rewrite someone else’s entire story”

I find it strange how the clearest vision for my future came from the moment I nearly didn’t have one. The jarring contrast between safety and tragedy continues to guide me to this day. So, before you go out and party with underage drinking, think about my experience and how it could alter your life for good. Either you could end up how the innocent man did, or how the young lady did, all because of one irresponsible decision that you may find “cool” in the instant. Sometimes I think back to that day, wondering how that man's life would be today if it weren't taken so quickly. I hope his family was able to find glory in Christ and forgive that young woman for her negligence. That is why I am writing this essay, because my life was spared that day, hoping for a better world, and committing to the life I have because I was given a second chance to make something of it.