It is so true when people say, “Everything can change in the blink of an eye.” All of my life, I’ve seen those advertisements on TV or radio about texting and driving. They always put an emphasis on how just one text can end a life. I’ve always thought texting and driving was bad, but I never thought something tragic like that could happen to me. I also rarely ever use my phone while driving, just because I know it’s illegal. However, just last week, I did something extremely irresponsible for the first time. Even though it was my first time doing it, I definitely reaped the consequences.
I was driving alone on my way home from visiting my boyfriend at Virginia Tech. I was getting super bored in the car ride, so I decided to mix up the jams. In order to play music from my phone, I have to connect it to an auxiliary cord, also known as the aux cord. I don’t like listening to music on the radio, so I always prefer to use my phone. This time, however, I got a little too indulged into my Apple music experience. While I was looking at the phone, I had been driving at about 80 mph in the fast lane. I finally looked back up at the road again and that’s when I noticed that I was about to drive into a car that was parked on the side of the road.
I guess during those seconds I was looking at the phone I managed to swerve toward it. I did not want to hit the car, so I tried to swerve away from it. I must have swerved a little too much because all of a sudden my car spun out into the middle and right lanes next to me. I was literally doing doughnuts in the middle of the highway. My life was flashing before my eyes. While I was spinning, I watched in horror as oncoming traffic tried to dodge me. Thankfully, no one hit me. I was about to go into a ditch on the side of the road, but I eventually hit the guard rail. I thought, “Oh my gosh I’m about to go into the ditch! This is really the end of my life!” The front of my car hit the guard rail first, then it spun around again causing the back to ram into the rail. In the event of all that spinning, my forehead slammed into the windshield of the car.
I now have bruised bump on my forehead. My car finally came to a halt when it hit the rail that second time. I was so glad I didn’t fall into the ditch. I felt so relieved to be alive.
Now my life is completely different. The convenience of having my own car was taken away because of my foolish decision. Now, I can’t just drive back home to see my family. Now, I can’t just drive myself to work, which is 30 minutes away from where I live. Now, I know I have disappointed my family and they won’t ever help me again. I ruined everything for myself. Everything. I even ended up with a ticket and I have a court date coming up. I honestly feel so depressed about this situation and can’t stop thinking about how I could have changed it. This is what I get. In the end, I’m still thankful that nothing worse happened. I could have killed myself, or I could have killed someone else.
This picture was taken after the accident. My first car. Now, she’s gone.
All I can do now is hope that anyone that reads my story can learn from it. Please do not use your phone while driving. The rumors are true.
Image credit: Cover
Body Image: Jasmine Medrano-Guevara