How Personal Experience Taught Me the Importance of Safe Driving

Personal Experience. I have seen firsthand how reckless driving can change a life; I watched an injury

from an accident change my stepmom’s life. I feel fortunate that I have had only one personal

experience with a car accident. I was driving with my high school boyfriend about three years ago. I was

sitting in the passenger seat, stopped at a red light. As we were sitting there, a young driver rear-ended

our car. I remember seeing the car coming towards us in the mirror and I knew they were going to hit

us. When he rear-ended us, both my boyfriend and I went into shock. He was angry and upset that

someone could be so reckless and put our lives in danger. He was so angry that it clouded his judgment

and he could not think straight. At that moment, I assumed the role of the responsible person in the

situation who got us safely off the road. We then called the police, our insurance companies, and our

families. The driver of the other car was not paying attention, luckily no one was injured. I am so glad

this incident did not negatively affect me or my boyfriend at the time. However, it did teach me a

valuable lesson about concentration on the road. Even when one thinks one is paying full attention to

what is happening on the road, one moment of distraction can change everything. I feel fortunate that

this car accident did not change mine.

I have also witnessed my family suffer due to a car accident. My stepmom, Wendy, was stopped at a red

light (just like my boyfriend and me) on her way home from work one day, when a truck barreling at

40mph rear-ended her car. She slammed her head on her steering wheel, the door frame, and the

headrest. Because of this, she sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). She was told it was just a

concussion, but symptoms persisted such as memory loss, inability to read, and blacking out with no

recollection of what happened. She eventually found a neuropsychologist who specializes in TBIs and he

confirmed what she had long suspected: she had a brain injury. With time and patience, she was able to

heal completely and now lives a normal life. I watched her struggle to get help for nearly three years and

then her persevere through her treatments. I also watched her struggle through her lawsuit with the

woman that hit her. Justice did not come easily or cheaply for Wendy. I am very passionate about

people practicing safe and conscientious driving because of Wendy’s experience. I know firsthand how

someone’s irresponsible behavior on the road can completely change someone’s life. Because Wendy

endured a brain injury, she had to retire from her career as a teacher of nearly 20 years. She was no

longer well enough to work in the chaotic environment of an elementary school. Also, she had been

working on her master’s degree in mental health counseling and could not finish her studies due to her

injury. Two years of hard work went down the drain because of someone’s reckless behavior. Once she

was healed from her brain injury, she tried picking up where she had left off. However, her school

unfortunately, would not let her continue where her studies were halted, so she was forced to reapply

and restart her entire master’s degree a second time through a different school. She graduated this past

winter and is working on enrolling into a Ph.D. program. I am so proud of Wendy for overcoming this

unexpected hardship that truly turned her life around. She took the terrible hand she was dealt and

made the best out of it. I am also grateful it gave me personal experience with how a reckless decision

can change one’s life forever.

Better Driver(s). Both experiences taught me how important it is to be a conscientious driver. I

understand that I am responsible not only for my life and the lives of the passengers in my car, but also

for the lives of the other drivers on the road. If every person took the time to be a safe and conscious

driver, then the roads would not be as dangerous as they are now. We often forget that when we get on

the road, we are putting our lives at risk. I often forget this myself, so I must remind myself how

dangerous it is and take seriously the safety of myself and others.