Name: Danielle Bullock
From: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Votes: 0
Eyes
on the Road
I was 16
when I caused my first car accident. It was December, and it was very
snowy and slippery. I was on my way to my school’s annual Holiday
Band Concert, and my mom couldn’t drive me, so I had to go by
myself.
When I arrived
downtown on my way to the theatre, I found that the traffic was
pretty backed up. Being the arrogant teenager I was, instead of
reducing distractions so I could focus, I pulled out my phone,
blasted some Holiday Tunes on the Radio, and starting dancing to the
music in my car. As anybody could imagine, my eyes were anywhere but
on the road. Suddenly, I felt a jolting shock coming from the front
of my car, as I’m thrown back into the seat. I slammed my foot on
the brake. A man stepped out of his car in front of me, and I
realized in horror that, in my dancing hysteria, I drove right into
his car. We were going slowly due to the traffic, so, luckily for me,
both of our cars suffered nothing worse than a fender-bender, and I
wasn’t charged with anything or given a ticket. Still, I’ll never
forget the police woman, the tears, the absolute terror I felt, or
the look on the elderly man’s face when he realized that he was
going to have to pay for his damaged car.
I took my drivers
ed course online, and I’ll be honest, I really didn’t give much
thought to the lessons. That was, and still is, one of my biggest
mistakes. When I drive, I feel unprepared for any out-of-the-ordinary
situations. I don’t know what to do if my car breaks down, if there
are dangerous weather conditions, and I still don’t feel 100%
comfortable in the day-to-day stuff either.
I was lucky when my
accident only resulted in a fender-bender, but many other people
aren’t. So many people die because of stupid decisions made in a
vehicle. If we could only educate others on the safe and proper way
to drive, and the consequences of not driving safely, so many
unnecessary deaths could be avoided. Teenagers, and adults alike,
need to know that distracted driving is not acceptable in any
situation. No phone call, snapchat, text, facebook, whatever, is
worth your life or the life of another. Turn the music down, silence
your phone notifications, and keep yourself educated.
Now, my brother is
turning 16, and I have done everything I can to make sure that he is
educated about the importance of being a safe driver. I was there
with him through the whole drivers ed course to make sure that
he is properly educated on what to do in every situation, because I
never want him to feel like I did that day in December.
