Should Have Seen It

Should Have Seen It

I sat there in awe. My heart beats faster by the second as I look up, debating if I should just leave. My gut strongly urged me to pull over as I drove to the side lines. A tall male with short blonde hair left his black Ford SUV and walk towards my window. I examined closely, wondering the reaction of the owner of the car I just hit. First, I did not pay attention to his face at first sight. Instead, I noticed his outfit, a black collared shirt tucked neatly in the pants, with a nicely synched belt at the waist. As my eyes started moving to the shoulder of this man, I noticed this silver badge near the arm. I quickly realized… a policeman knocking on my window. I have rear ended an officer. One that was obviously furious.

Let us rewind. What happened? “Ding!” I heard as I was driving down route 70. My eyes shifted to the right, straight towards my phone. I looked up after a split second and pounded on my brakes as the scar screeched. It was too late, I should have seen it.

Let me skip some parts of the story or else it might be too long. To sum it up, I got into a lot of trouble! Trouble that I would not have imagined getting into.

Maybe I will post a follow up, but I wanted to share what I have learned. Number one, officers need to call another officer to file paperwork if they are involved in an accident. This one I felt was pretty funny. That day we waited for half an hour before another officer pulled up to write me a ticket. Number two, policeman in South Jersey are decent people. Even if they are furious, they don’t forget their manners and kindness. Especially towards a delinquent that have just caused them trouble. But most importantly, I learned to ignore my phone once in a while, especially when I am the one behind the wheel.

If I had not looked up after a split second, I might have been dead. Thankfully, I paid attention in my Drivers Ed class in high school. Not all driving problems can be reminded by a class you took two years ago, but drivers ed is like hiring a financial planner instead of investing yourself. It helps reduce risk and reminds you of important details when investing. Drivers ed can teach individuals the rules of the road by not only teaching them in a classroom setting but also allowing them hands on experience in a car. Drivers ed is positively correlated with driver’s safety on the road. Drivers ed can help reduce the number of deaths while driving.

Besides obtaining drivers ed, there are many steps you can take to reduce driving related accidents as well as help others become safer on the road. One should come to mind after hearing my story. Limit distractions! Do not look at your phone when driving. Other steps can be taken but this is what you should take out of my story. I should have seen it coming.