Is a Mistake Worth It?
I love to keep up with my friends, and see what they are up to. I carry my phone wherever I go, don’t you? It’s crazy how much I love to know what is going on in the world because, well, you see, I am a very social person. Ok, I am guilty. Oh wait, guilty of what? I used my phone while driving. What can I do? I love to know everything, every second of the day. Whenever I heard stories of people getting into accidents because of driving and using their phone, I just thought of myself and how I never had a crash. Everybody kept saying don’t do that. Did I listen,no?
One day, my dad found out that I use my phone every second of the day, even when I drive. Did he get mad? Yes, of course he did. He even told mum that I text and drive, they both started yelling at me, and said “Don’t do that ever again!” “Why not?” I replied to them. They said, “We don’t want you to get hurt one day and regret it, thinking back on life, just to see what you might miss out on.”I stormed into my room saying, “You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do!”
The next day, I did the same thing; I used my phone while driving to my friend’s house. My friend always understands me, listens and gives advice on how to handle many of the situations I am in. Her name is Mackenzie. She knows that I use my phone and drive, so I can talk openly to her about what happened the night before. When I got to her house, we hugged straight away and I told her everything, there was nothing to hide. We had fun, talked about the latest gossip out in the world while driving to school, and the topic about boys always comes along somewhere during our conversations.
That afternoon at school, the police came to visit and talk about using phones while driving to years ten, eleven and twelve. During the whole presentation, I was not listening to the police officer because he wasn’t going to tell us what we didn’t already know. What was the point of being there anyway? I could have been on my way home because I had no classes in the afternoon. All that he said was, “Don’t drive and look at your phone. Always keep your eyes on the road, and be aware of what is going on around you while driving. There is nothing worse than your parents receiving a call from the police, telling them that their child has been in a car accident because of one or two seconds of looking at their phone. Would you want your parents to receive that call? Would you want to receive that kind of a call about one of your family members?”
Little did I know that today was going to change my life forever……
On my way home, one of my other friends texted me. The text read, ‘Meet at my house. I have great news. See you at 6. Bring snacks.’ I looked down at my phone to read it and…… the next thing I know, I am in the hospital. When I woke up, I kept asking what happened because I didn’t want to believe it. I was in a car crash! No! This couldn’t have happened to me; I never hurt myself or others when I drive. I got off lightly after a big crash. The doctors told me I had fractured my ribs and broken my right arm. My parents were beside my hospital bed the whole time. How could I do this to them? Why didn’t I just listen to them and stop using my phone constantly, especially while driving?
A week after the crash, the police came to talk to me about what happened. I told them everything, even about the fight I had with my parents and what happened at school. I knew I should have listened to that police officer at school that day, but I didn’t feel like everyone had to tell me what is right and wrong. They told me that nobody else got injured and I will be charged for reckless driving, driving while using a mobile phone. I told the police that I had been driving and looking at my phone and that I had never been in an accident. I probably shouldn’t have told them that, but, I felt like I owed them the truth since I did the wrong thing. This had never happened to me before. Why now when I am young, when I can go out with friends and live my life?
I remember seeing advertisements on TV, in magazines and newspapers, but, I didn’t really pay attention to what was happening around me. There are many stories about people in the world having car crashes, because they were using their phone and driving. I guess I wasn’t a good person because of what I had done; I could have injured or killed someone with my recklessness.
Never in my life did I think that I would be up here on this stage talking to a group of high school students, especially about my experience with crashes. I hope this has been a lesson to you all. Don’t reach for your phone while you are driving or else you may regret it in the future. If you really want to see what somebody sent you, and it is important, pull over to the side of the road so that you are out of traffic, and check your phone. Remember to be safe and follow the road rules. You don’t want to end up like me, spending every second thinking about how everything would have been different if didn’t check my phone. My life changed forever that day.
Thank you, and remember to always stay safe. Don’t regret.
