Name: Veronica Elaine Ford
From: Charlotte, NC
Votes: 0
What
No One Tells You:
By:
Veronica Ford
At
the ripe age of 17, I was in my very first car accident. Driving down
Providence Road, I was waiting at a red light behind three cars. I
can distinctly remember the song I was listening to, “Hide the
Wine” by Carly Pearce. I had just gotten out of tutoring and I was
beginning my 25 minute trek home. Happily singing along to the
lyrics, I watch as the light changes. All of the cars start
accelerating and suddenly everyone in front of me stops. Slamming on
my brakes like my life depended on it, I come to a screeching halt,
running into the car in front of me. It might be cliche to say, but I
saw my life flash before my eyes. I saw pictures of my family over
the decades flash before my eyes before I came back to reality.
Immediately beginning to panic, I pull over to the side of the road.
Stepping out, I find myself being checked on by the multiple people
who were involved in the accident. Everyone took a step back as they
saw that I was a teenager. The adults stepped in, helping me find my
insurance card and call 911 as well as my mother. My mother got the
call that no parent ever wants to get for the second time in her
life. You see, my twin sister was in a car accident about two weeks
after she got her license. Exactly one year and one month later, I
found myself in the same position.
Sitting
in my car until the police arrive, I go over scenarios of what I
could have done differently. I wasn’t on my phone. I wasn’t
playing the music too loud. I wasn’t distracted. I wasn’t
drinking water. I wasn’t eating food. So what was it that I had
done wrong? I was leaving enough following distance. I was watching
the road ahead of me to see what was in my path. I was doing
everything that I had been taught in Drivers Ed. So how was I in a
car accident?
My
mother runs up to me, dressed completely in her black funeral attire.
My family was attending the funeral of an elederly man at my church
that morning and she had to skip it in order to come pick me up. I
later learned that this man’s son had been killed in a car
accident. Let me say that again. My mother had to miss the funeral of
a man whose son had died in a car accident to pick up her teenage
daughter from a car accident. Shock setting in, I’m shaking by the
time the cops arrive. As soon as they see a teenager, they
automatically ask me if I had been on my phone. Much to their
surprise, I told them that I was not. After the police take account
of everything that happened, one of them pulls me aside and tells me
something that I will never forget. “I can tell that you are a
responsible girl who takes this all very seriously. Sometimes, you
are just living your life and road bumps come in the way. Bad things
happen. This doesn’t mean that you are any less good of a driver
than you were before. You were in a car accident, but this does not
define the person that you are today.”
This
was something that was never told to me in Drivers Ed. I was always
told that if you are in a car accident that translates to you are a
bad driver. Trust me, this is far from the case. Almost half a year
has passed since my car accident and I am still the friend that
drives around everyone. I am the friend that people call when they
need a ride.
So
to whoever is reading this. Everything that they tell you in Drivers
Ed will help you for years to come. But if you take anything away
from my story and my experience, please take away that bad things can
and will happen. I was lucky that I was paying full attention while
driving and was able to hit my brakes hard enough to have a more
minor collision that if I had not. I am lucky that I supportive
family and friends. Students, you cannot let one bad experience
terrify you from something forever.
After
months of bad news after bad news, I am happy to say that I am in the
happiest transition phase of my life. I am applying to college and I
am in a great place with my mental health. But, I would not be the
person that I am today if I hadn’t experienced my car accident. Let
me end my story by telling you that safety MUST come first. You must
not drink and drive and you must be responsible. But if something
happens while you are being the most responsible person you can, do
not let it ruin your life. Learn how to find strength in hard
situations and move on from them.
May
God bless you all and keep you safe as you learn how to drive and
experience the harsh experiences life can throw at you.
