The Importance of Safe Driving

The importance of Safe Driving

I have been in several car accidents with my parents, but it took the experience becoming more personal for me to take irresponsible driving seriously. I had seen my parents drive irresponsibly all my life, which possibly explains why I didn’t take safe driving seriously for so long. I was in an accident with my mother when I was young and I remember the experience being very dramatic for me. I later was in an accident with my father that was caused by him being distracted while driving. I specifically remember the woman getting out of her car in front of us with blood dripping from her forehead after we had rear ended her. I understood at that point the responsibility you have as a driver and the harm you can inflict upon others by taking these responsibilities for granted. I however never expected to be in a similar situation myself.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to save up $10,000 to put towards purchasing a car. This car meant everything to me and I was extremely proud of myself for being able to make such a big purchase. This made things all the more upsetting when I immediately crashed the car within the first month. I had been driving for years and had never had issues, but because of this I had become arrogant. I didn’t think I would ever get into an accident, especially not one that was my fault. After dropping my friend off at his house I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings and I blindly pulled away from the curb and ran right into a large truck. I was in immediate shock and embarrassment as this crash could have easily been avoided by simply looking before pulling away from the curb. In the following weeks I experienced a lot of depression as I felt as if I had failed myself. I also had to pay a hefty deductible for the damages. My car has since been fixed and it appears as if no accident has occurred, but I will never forget. I am very aware now how easily someone can become overly confident after driving accident free for a while. I still think about the man whose car I hit and I am so glad that he was not injured. I was driving irresponsibly. I am glad that I had this experience so early in my life as it helped me gain wisdom and fully understand the importance of safe driving.