Bad Bumper Cars

January 31st, 2020 was one of the best days of my life; a pivotal moment for my teenage freedom. I had passed my drivers test on the first try. Now, I could drive wherever I wanted, and I didn’t have to have an adult in the car! How riveting is that? There were, however some downsides: I couldn’t drive with any friends, past midnight, or out of state. That sound be easy, right? Well, I was wrong.

It was all fun and games until I had my license for about 5 months, and it was summer. The time where I could hang out with all my friends whenever I wanted, and I did. I drove with my friends everywhere, but I didn’t have my 9 months up. I was breaking the law, but I really didn’t care. It didn’t matter unless I got caught. My friend and I were driving around at about 1 am, just venting about everything we could when blue lights started flashing behind us. So now here we were, two minors pulled over in a completely unfamiliar area, breaking three laws. Number one, I was speeding. Number two, I was driving a friend before I legally could, and number three, it was past midnight. We were screwed. Somehow, we got off with a spoken warning. We had gotten away with it, and my parents wouldn’t know.

October 31st, 2020. My dads birthday, and Halloween, which was truly a great day of joy. To start, I had work, and then had to head home to get ready for my dads party. On the 30-minute drive home, a deer ran in front of me and I swerved to avoid it. I ended up hitting a tree instead. My first car, my freedom, was gone. At least I had a gnarly black eye, though.

Months later, I had gotten a new car. It was a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. A true beauty of a car, and had all the new luxury pieces you could imagine. April 19th, 2020, my mom sent my boyfriend and me to the post office to send out a package, and then to the store to pick up lunch. At a four way intersection, I thought I was in the clear and started going straight. Then I got hit on the right side of the car, sending my car into a ditch. Solely my fault, and I took full responsibility. I still haven’t forgiven myself.

These mistakes have taught me well. I’m a better, more aware driver now. I do my best to keep myself and other drivers safe, while still getting to my destination. I’m a scared driver now. I get into the car thinking that I’m going to crash again, I can’t spend money on anything I want to because of my monthly car payments and car insurance. At least I’m safe, though, and everyone else involved is okay. I am so incredibly lucky that everyone is okay.