Everything is a Distraction

Just like any other teenager, I could not wait to get my license at the ripe age of 16. On August 7th, 2018, my 16th birthday, I headed straight to the DMV to get my permit so I could get my license as soon as possible. After this, I began taking driving lessons and working towards getting my license. At the time, I didn’t think I needed to take these classes. It seemed unnecessary and none of my other friends had to take them.

The day finally came when I took the test and passed on the first try. After years of waiting, I was able to hang out with my friends without the help of my parents. During high school, I was part of a rock climbing team. One of the first places I drove to that was further away was the rock gym. I had asked a friend from school to go with me and that I would pick her up. She had just been in an accident and didn’t have a car anymore. I successfully drove to her house to pick her up and then took the 45-minute trip to the gym.

During the drive, I asked about her car accident. There was a dog in the middle of the road and she swerved to avoid hitting it. This caused her to run up the side of the bank and flip the car over multiple times. My high level of inexperience driving couldn’t understand how this caused such a big accident. I even said something along the lines of “Doesn’t it take two people to cause an accident since one of the people could just avoid the other”. We talked about it a little more and then eventually arrived at the gym.

We spent the next two hours there climbing until our arms were sore. Before the drive, my mom had warned me about merging onto the highway since this section had a very short on-ramp and was often congested with traffic. I kept this in mind while sitting in the turning lane, about to make the left turn onto the highway. I was very careful watching each of the headlights coming down the hill toward me, just waiting for a gap to take my turn. The intersection was set up so the cars coming from the opposite direction could turn at the same time as me.

I had already been sitting there for a while. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that cars were starting to pile up behind me, all of them waiting to make the same turn. I saw a car coming with its right turn signal on and thought this would be my chance. I timed it perfectly so that by the time these two lanes merged into one, I would be right behind them. As I began to make the left-hand turn, it seemed like a car appeared out of nowhere from right behind them. I hit them head-on.

While I was focused on the car making the turn, I failed to recognize that there was a car right behind them. I couldn’t believe I had just gotten into an accident. It seemed like I hadn’t been distracted or done anything wrong. I was extremely embarrassed that I was with a friend that I wasn’t that close with and additionally, had just been in an accident. I felt like karma had just physically hit me because of what I said regarding her accident earlier.

Now I realize that accidents can happen even when there are no obvious distractions such as texting. Distractions can be as oblivious as the other cars on the road. It’s been almost 5 years since this incident and I’ve been able to practice safe driving and stay out of accidents since then. At intersections, I don’t feel as pressured to make dangerous turns and always make sure the coast is clear. When I drive with my friends, I remind them to stay off their phones and explained what happened to me when I wasn’t even using a phone. It was a good thing my mom made me take those driving lessons. Everyone should have formal training in driving because of how dangerous and easy it is to get into an accident. This may not prevent every accident as seen in my cause but it can help reduce the number and severity. Every time I drive past the place of the crash, I am reminded of that tragic day.