I never thought it would be me…

Driving is a big milestone in every teenager’s life. However, going through drivers ed those learning to drive do not take it seriously and therefore put themselves and others in danger. Driver’s education is very important to learn how to drive safely and alongside others. Driver’s education is there to help us learn the do’s and don’ts of driving and what to do in emergencies as well as just simple information such as what the street signs mean. In my own experience, I have been in two accidents since I’ve gotten my license. The first one was not my fault and nor was it a very big scene, someone had rolled through a stop sign and hit the side of my car while I was going through the intersection. As for the second accident, it was more intense and serious. I was driving on the interstate and had panicked as I started to believe that the semi-truck behind me was about to hit me, so as I panicked I swerved to the left and hit a semi-truck that was beside me because I did not check my mirrors. I had hit the front bumper of the semi-truck pulling it off as my car began to spin. My window had broken, glass had gone everywhere. I had glass in my mouth, my pants, my hair, and even my ears. I remember thinking that the last conversation I had with my dad was an argument about something as stupid as taking my laundry out of the dryer. I was terrified, I didn’t expect to come out of this unharmed. When this happened my boyfriend was in the car with me, I had just kept apologizing. I remember I had just kept repeatedly beating myself up over it, thinking “I should’ve just checked my mirrors” or “What if I had killed someone?”. I had reacted on impulse instead of reason, I didn’t know how to react in this situation. This accident had left my car demolished, however, no one was hurt and no other cars had gotten involved which was a miracle, it’s rare to walk away from an accident with a semi unharmed. This accident has made it hard for me to drive on the interstate because of what had happened, I used to check my back mirror frequently and worry about the cars behind me. However, this accident and my dad have told me and taught me not to worry about what’s behind me because what’s behind me is not in my control. I can only control what I’m doing and what’s in front of me. Being a defensive driver is one of the most important things everyone is taught during driver’s ed. By being a defensive driver can decrease the number of accidents and deaths caused by vehicles. A defensive driver is meant to maintain their space and protect themselves from more than just the other drivers but your surroundings, such as deer during the season. You have to think ahead and plan for potential dangers and events, such as a car accident. This is one of the most important and effective steps one could take to prevent car accidents and death resulting from them, as well as making us better and safer drivers. Some other steps we can take to become better and safer drivers on the road are practicing the laws and watching what’s happening around us. Speeding is one of the main factors that cause car accidents, so following the speed limits and watching for others who may be speeding can save a life. As for watching what is happening around us, paying attention to our surroundings can be very important and also save our lives as well as others’ lives. For example, my first accident, when someone had run the stop sign and hit me. If I had been watching my surroundings better I may have been able to prevent that accident from happening by either getting out of the way or being able to wait as she approached the stop sign before I had gone through the intersection. I have always been taught that driving is a privilege and not a right, it’s something you have to work for. Doing driver’s ed and practicing safe driving is part of working for this privilege. No one ever thinks that it’s going to be them behind the wheel in a big accident, I know I never thought I would be the cause of an accident on the highway involving semis. Following the rules, being a defensive driver, and watching your surroundings are very important, don’t let it be you.