Name: Jimmy Zhang
From: College Point, NY
Votes: 0
BEEP!
BEEP! BEEP! I frantically jumped out of bed at 6:30am on a Saturday
and jolted toward my favorite pair of shorts. I’ve been waiting for
this day for 17 years now. Reaching for my uniform, my mind races
back to those relentless hours of constant gasps for air, sweat
stains, clench of thirst, and painful injuries. Even on my worst
days, I managed to drag myself off the bed and stay late nights until
the work was done. Now, the efforts have really paid off. DING DONG!
DING DONG! Running for the door, I long jump down the staircase and
hurdle over the pet gate. I look through the peep hole and I see a
crowd of people around my doorsteps. I distinctly remember people
screaming my name. I’m no celebrity by any means, they were just my
friends extremely pumped up for the Queens Championship Track Meet.
As
the driver, it was my duty to bring everyone to the meet safely and
on time. Driving down I-95 highway, I’ve realized that we were
officially lost. We were going to be late to the biggest event of our
lives and it was because of me. I told Matthew who was sitting next
to me in the passenger seat to use my phone’s navigation. A quick
sleight of hand maneuver allowed me to slip the phone from my pocket
on to the steering wheel. As I typed my six-digit password for Matt,
the car in the next lane furiously honked at me. In that short span
of 2 seconds, I was drifting halfway to the other lane. It made sense
I was going 55mph and even the slightest steering wheel maneuver will
cause a directional car shift.
The
reality of the situation taught me that my success, my dedication,
and my future would have hit a dead end within that 2 second time
frame. Even my friends and their family will be negatively affected
as well. As the driver, you are in control of everyone lives. One bad
decision means the death of your childhood friends and the depression
faced within the family. But let’s not forget the victims in the
other car that could have died. The lives of people you have never
met were now gone because you decided to use your phone. Who knows,
they might even have families overseas that are greatly affected by
this. This shows the power you possess, while driving. So many things
can be affected by your actions.
The
Best Day of My Life is when I learned the lessons to never drive with
my phone. Prosperity can only be attained when you are well and
alive. So, make today the best day of your life and vow to never
drive using your phone. Save other people’s lives and most
importantly, save your own.
